Will the Boston Red Sox end their series against the Toronto Blue Jays on a high note or settle for a split?
The Red Sox will be without Rafael Devers on Thursday night at Fenway Park in the finale. The star third baseman injured his quad in Game 2 of Wednesday’s doubleheader and will miss at least Thursday’s game.
Bobby Dalbec replaces Devers in the field by moving from first base to the hot corner and bats eighth, while Franchy Cordero will fill in at first base and bat ninth.
Leadoff hitter Kiké Hernández plays second base for the second consecutive game. Center fielder Jarren Duran moves up from ninth to second, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts, designated hitter J.D. Martinez and right fielder Hunter Renfroe comprise the heart of Boston’s batting order. Alex Verdugo remains the No. 6 hitter.
After sitting out Game 2 of the doubleheader, Christian Vázquez returns as catcher and bats seventh. He’ll catch for Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who has a 2.55 ERA with 20 strikeouts and just five walks in his four July starts to date. The Red Sox are 8-1 in Rodriguez’s last nine starts.
Hyun Jin Ryu will take the mound as the Blue Jays’ starting pitcher.
NESN will air full coverage of Red Sox vs. Blue Jays. Pregame coverage will begin at 6 p.m. ET, and first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Postgame coverage immediately will follow the final out. If you’re on the go, live stream full coverage of the game online at Watch NESN Live.
Here are the starting lineups for Thursday’s Red Sox vs. Blue Jays game.
RED SOX (63-40)
Kiké Hernández, 2B
Jarren Duran, CF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
J.D. Martinez, DH
Hunter Renfroe, RF
Alex Verdugo, LF
Christian Vázquez, C
Bobby Dalbec, 3B
Franchy Cordero, 1B
Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP (7-5, 5.23 ERA)
BLUE JAYS (50-48)
George Springer, DH
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
Marcus Semien, 2B
Bo Bichette, SS
Teoscar Hernandez, RF
Randal Grichuk, CF
Cavan Biggio, LF
Santiago Espinal, 3B
Reese McGuire, C
Hyun Jin Ryu, LHP (9-5, 3.44 ERA)
