Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino are out of the Boston Red Sox lineup Thursday, seemingly for different reasons.
Both outfielders will sit for the series finale with the Tampa Bay Rays. Ramirez is just getting a night off, and Victorino likely is still nursing a hamstring issue that forced him out of Tuesday’s loss to the Rays.
Ramirez and Victorino will be replaced in the lineup by Allen Craig in left and Daniel Nava in right.
The Red Sox will turn to Clay Buchholz on the mound in their attempt to take the series from their American League East rivals. Buchholz is looking to end a two-game skid after opening the season with a win. Buchholz had one of his best starts of the 2014 season against the Rays when he threw a complete-game, three-hit shutout on Aug. 31 at Tropicana Field.
Jake Odorizzi (2-1, 1.74 ERA) gets the start for the Rays.
RED SOXÂ (9-6)
Mookie Betts, CF
Dustin PEdroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, RF
Allen Craig, LF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Sandy Leon, C
Clay Buchholz, P
RAYS (7-8)
David DeJesus, DH
Steven Souza Jr., RF
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Evan Longoria, 3B
Desmond Jennings, LF
Allan Dykstra, 1B
Logan Forsythe, 2B
Kevin Kiermaier, CF
Rene Rivera, C
Jake Odorizzi, P
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
