After entering the month of June with a .304 batting average, Xander Bogaerts has struggled of late with just five hits over his last 52 at-bats, and his average has dropped to .260.
Manager John Farrell will drop the struggling Aruban third baseman to seventh in the batting order for Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
Taking his spot in the No. 2 hole will be Dustin Pedroia, who moves up in the order along with David Ortiz and Mike Napoli. Pedroia, Ortiz and Napoli each had two hits in Monday’s loss, accounting for six of the team’s seven total hits.
The Red Sox hope the move will give them an edge against Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez, who is 0-0 with an 8.59 ERA lifetime against Boston. In his last start against the Red Sox, Ramirez was shelled, allowing seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.
On the mound for the Sox is Jake Peavy, who hasn’t won since April 25. Since a solid start in the first month of the season, Peavy’s ERA has ballooned to 4.52, and the M’s aren’t going to do him any favors on Tuesday night.
A handful of Mariners have had their way against the right-hander. Robinson Cano (.417, HR, 4 RBI in 12 games), John Buck (.333, 2 HR, 3 RBI in 10 games) and Dustin Ackley (.500, 2 doubles) have dominated Peavy in the past.
Here are the full lineups:
Boston Red Sox (35-42)
Brock Holt, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Xander Bogaerts, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Jake Peavy, RHP (1-5, 4.52 ERA)
Seattle Mariners (41-36)
Endy Chaves, RF
James Jones, CF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Kyle Seager, 3B
Logan Morrison, 1B
Mike Zunino, C
Dustin Ackley, LF
Brad Miller, SS
John Buck, DH
Erasmo Ramirez, RHP (1-4, 4.62 ERA)
