Drew Pomeranz will make his highly-anticipated return to the mound Tuesday evening.
The Red Sox left-hander has not pitched for Boston since May 31 after biceps tendinitis in his pitching arm landed him on the disabled list. He’ll get a chance to ease back into things, however as he’ll face Major League Baseball’s worst team, the Baltimore Orioles, in Game 2 of a three-game set at Camden Yards.
Pomeranz began the season on the DL with a forearm flexor stain, and his eight starts in between DL stints weren’t exactly inspiring. He’s currently 1-3 this season with a 6.81 ERA, getting tagged for three runs or more in all but one start. At full health, Sox manager Alex Cora believes part of Pomeranz’s struggles were rooted in mechanical issues. If those problems are rectified, he could return to the form that saw him go 17-6 with a 3.32 ERA last season.
Blake Swihart will catch Pomeranz, with Eduardo Nunez slotting back into the lineup and playing second base after getting Monday off. The Orioles will send out right-hander Yefry Ramirez to handle the pitching.
Here are the lineups for both teams:
RED SOX (71-31)
Mookie Betts, RF
Andrew Benintendi, LF
J.D. Martinez, DH
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Eduardo Nunez, 2B
Rafael Devers, 3B
Blake Swihart, C
Drew Pomeranz, LHP (1-3, 6.81 ERA)
ORIOLES (28-73)
Tim Beckham, SS
Jonathan Schoop, 2B
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Trumbo, RF
Danny Valencia, DH
Trey Mancini, LF
Chris Davis, 1B
Renato Nuñez, 3B
Caleb Joseph, C
Yefry Ramirez, RHP (0-3, 3.09)
