Two Boston Red Sox sluggers will get a night off Monday in Atlanta.
Both David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez are absent from the starting lineup as the Red Sox begin a two-game series as part of a home-and-home with the Braves. Travis Shaw moves across the diamond to play first base, while Josh Rutledge will start at third base.
Rutledge has seen Braves starter Julio Teheran more than any other player in the Boston order. He’s 2-for-5 in his career against the right-hander. Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Brock Holt all have multiple hits against Teheran.
The Red Sox will give the ball to Rick Porcello for the series opener. He’s looking to build on a perfect 3-0 record. Porcello is 1-1 in his career against Atlanta with a 4.97 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
Porcello looked really good his last time out, allowing three runs over seven innings while striking out nine against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Here are the lineups for both teams:
RED SOX (9-9)
Mookie Betts, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Travis Shaw, 1B
Josh Rutledge, 3B
Brock Holt, LF
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Christian Vazquez, C
Rick Porcello, RHP
BRAVES (4-14)
Nick Markakis, RF
Daniel Castro, SS
Adonis Garcia, 3B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jeff Francoeur, LF
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Jace Peterson, 2B
Mallex Smith, CF
Julio Teheran, RHP
Thumbnail photo via Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports
