Will fate deal the Boston Red Sox another winning hand against the Toronto Blue Jays?
Red Sox manager Alex Cora sticks with a new-look lineup for Tuesday’s matchup against the Blue Jays. Cora made a host of changes to Boston’s most-familiar batting order for Monday night’s series opener, and Red Sox bats exploded in their 13-4 rout of the Blue Jays. So why not stick with what seems to work?
The only change is the return of Christian Vázquez, who bats ninth and starts at catcher.
Kiké Hernández remains the leadoff hitter and second baseman. Fresh off his first career Major League Baseball home run, center fielder Jarren Duran bats second. The heart of the Red Sox batting order consists of shortstop Xander Bogaerts, third baseman Rafael Devers and designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who bat third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Alex Verdugo bats sixth for a second consecutive game as he tries to work his way out of a slump.
Having belted a grand slam Monday, right fielder Hunter Renfroe hopes to enjoy another fruitful outing from the seventh spot in Boston’s batting order. Danny Santana remains in the eight spot, where he also shined in the win over Toronto.
Garrett Richards starts on the mound for the Red Sox. He has pitched at least five innings in his last three starts and intends to extend that streak.
NESN will air full coverage of Red Sox-Blue Jays. Pregame coverage starts at 6 p.m. ET. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET, and postgame coverage immediately will follow the final out.
Remember, if you’re not near a TV, you can live stream full coverage of the game online at Watch NESN Live.
Here are the full lineups for Tuesday’s Red Sox-Blue Jays game.
RED SOX (57-38)
Kiké Hernández, 2B
Jarren Duran, CF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Rafael Devers, 3B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Alex Verdugo, LF
Hunter Renfroe, RF
Danny Santana, 1B
Christian Vázquez, C
Garrett Richards, RHP (5-5, 4.91)
BLUE JAYS (48-43)
Marcus Semien, 2B
Bo Bichette, SS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., DH
George Springer, CF
Teoscar Hernandez, LF
Randal Grichuk, RF
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., 1B
Cavan Biggio, 3B
Danny Jansen, C
Thomas Hatch, RHP (2021 season debut)
