Rick Porcello delivered arguably his best outing of the season last Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles but didn’t earn the win. The Boston Red Sox are hoping that changes Monday.
Porcello will get another crack at the Orioles as the American League East rivals begin a three-game series at Camden Yards. The right-hander leads all of baseball with 20 wins and is looking to become the first Boston pitcher since Curt Schilling in 2004 with 21 or more victories in a season.
Sandy Leon is back in the Red Sox’s lineup catching Porcello and batting sixth. Boston also welcomes David Ortiz back to the lineup after the designated hitter got Sunday night off. Andrew Benintendi will take over in left field and bat ninth, while Brock Holt gets a turn at third base batting seventh.
That starting nine will face Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy, whom the Red Sox touched for three runs over 5 1/3 innings at Fenway Park in his last outing.
Boston enters Monday with a three-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East and a four-game lead over the third-place Toronto Blue Jays.
Here are the starting lineups for Monday’s game:
RED SOX (85-64)
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
David Ortiz, DH
Mookie Betts, RF
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Sandy Leon, C
Brock Holt, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Andrew Benintendi, LF
Clay Buchholz, RHP (20-4, 3.12 ERA)
ORIOLES (82-67)
Adam Jones, CF
Hyun Soo Kim, LF
Manny Machado, 3B
Mark Trumbo, DH
Chris Davis, 1B
J.J. Hardy, SS
Matt Wieters, C
Jonathan Schoop, 2B
Michael Bourn, RF
Dylan Bundy, RHP (9-5, 3.88 ERA)
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
