Either the Boston Red Sox or Toronto Blue Jays will part ways from one another with the edge.
The teams will play Thursday night in Dunedin, Fla., at TD Ballpark in their series finale. They’ve split the series so far, and the winner of Thursday’s game will take the set and own a 3-2 lead in their 2021 meetings.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora restores Hunter Renfroe to the lineup after one night off. Renfroe will bat seventh and play right field, with his return moving Alex Verdugo to left field and Franchy Cordero to the bench.
Michael Chavis starts for the first time since Sunday, batting ninth and playing second base in place of Marwin Gonzalez. The rest of the Red Sox infield is the same as it was Wednesday in their 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta looks to continue his stellar start to the season. His five wins are tied for second in the American League, and his 3.16 ERA ranks 10th in the AL. Christian Vázquez will catch Pivetta and bat sixth.
The Blue Jays will counter Pivetta with starting pitcher Steven Matz, who also has won five games this season.
The full lineups for Thursday’s Red Sox-Blue Jays game are below. First pitch is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. ET. NESN will air the game, with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.
RED SOX (26-18)
Kiké Hernández, CF
Alex Verdugo, LF
J.D. Martinez, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Rafael Devers, 3B
Christian Vázquez, C
Hunter Renfroe, RF
Bobby Dalbec, 1B
Michael Chavis, 2B
Nick Pivetta, RHP (5-0, 3.16)
BLUE JAYS (23-18)
Marcus Semien, 2B
Bo Bichette, SS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
Teoscar Hernandez, LF
Randal Grichuk, RF
Cavan Biggio, 2B
Santiago Espinal, 3B
Danny Jansen, C
Jonathan Davis, CF
Steven Matz, LHP (5-2, 4.29)
