Drew Pomeranz has been consistently good for the Boston Red Sox this season, and the left-hander will get a chance to flex his muscles against his former team Thursday afternoon.
Pomeranz, who played for the Oakland Athletics in 2014 and 2015, will be on the mound at Fenway Park for Boston’s series finale against the A’s. The Red Sox will be looking to bounce back from a 7-3 loss Wednesday night, while Pomeranz has the opportunity to reset after a few shaky starts.
Boston earned a 9-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the 28-year-old’s last outing on Sept. 8, but Pomeranz’s issues with walks continued, and he also hit two batters. Luckily for him, the A’s collectively are batting .246 on the season.
The rest of the lineup remains the same from Wednesday night save for one change, as manager John Farrell’s benched designated hitter/first baseman Hanley Ramirez. Dustin Pedroia will bat out of the No. 2 hole as the Red Sox’s DH, while Brock Holt will take over at second base and bat eighth.
Here are both teams’ lineups for Thursday’s matinee.
RED SOX (82-63)
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Dustin Pedroia, DH
Andrew Benintendi, LF
Mookie Betts, RF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Christian Vazquez, C
Rafael Devers, 3B
Brock Holt, 2B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Drew Pomeranz, LHP (15-5, 3.35 ERA)
ATHLETICS (64-81)
Marcus Semien, SS
Chad Pinder, RF
Jed Lowrie, 2B
Ryon Healy, DH
Matt Olson, 1B
Matt Chapman, 3B
Renato Nunez, LF
Mark Canha, CF
Josh Phegley, C
Daniel Gossett, RHP (4-8, 5.02 ERA)
Thumbnail photo via Gregory J. Fisher/USA TODAY Sports Images