It’ll be a battle of the struggling teams Monday night when the Boston Red Sox host the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park in the first of four games between the two.
The Red Sox hope to snap a six-game losing streak that has them sitting 10 games under .500 at 27-37, while the Braves haven’t fared much better of late, dropping eight of their last 12. With both teams desperately trying to turn things around in the two-city set, Mike Napoli will hope to do the same.
The first baseman has been out of Boston’s lineup since Friday, when he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts against the Toronto Blue Jays. But Napoli, who is hitting just .200 with a .297 on-base percentage, nine home runs and 26 RBIs this season, will return against the Braves and bat seventh.
Mookie Betts also will be back in the lineup, batting eighth and manning center field, while Brock Holt will shift to right field and Hanley Ramirez will remain in left.
Rick Porcello — who has lost his last four starts, posting a 7.30 ERA during the brutal span — will be on the mound for the Red Sox.
Check out both teams’ lineups below.
RED SOX (27-37)
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Brock Holt, RF
Hanley Ramirez, LF
David Ortiz, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Mookie Betts, CF
Sandy Leon, C
Rick Porcello (4-6, 5.26 ERA)
BRAVES (30-33)
Jace Peterson, 2B
Cameron Maybin, CF
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Nick Markakis, RB
Juan Uribe, 3B
Kelly Johnson, DH
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jonny Gomes, LF
Andrelton Simmons, SS
Williams Perez (2-0, 2.70 ERA)
