Red Sox hitters will see a familiar face on the mound for the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon at Comerica Park.
Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to take the hill for Detroit in its series finale against Boston. Rodriguez, who the Red Sox acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles in 2014, pitched six seasons in Boston before signing a five-year deal with the Tigers in mid-November.
Wednesday will mark Rodriguez's second start with the Tigers and his first against his former team. The veteran left-hander knows neither side will be able to surprise the other.
"It'll be fun. I'll just enjoy it," Rodriguez told reporters Monday, per The Boston Globe. "I know them and they know me. I hope I know more about them."
Standing in the batter's box across from E-Rod will be a little weird for Xander Bogaerts, who played alongside the southpaw for his entire Red Sox tenure.
"It will be strange," Bogaerts told reporters. "Eddie was more than my teammate. He was a good friend. I'm glad for him. I wasn't surprised that he wanted to come here. He wants to be a teacher like others were for him.
"This will be good for him and his family. He needed a fresh start in my opinion."
Christian Vázquez, meanwhile, already knows how he plans to attack his former battery mate.
"Write this down, I'm going to bunt on him," Boston's backstop said. "That's a free hit against him."
Rodriguez won't have much momentum going into his outing against the Red Sox. The Tigers won on Opening Day last Friday, but Rodriguez only lasted four innings in which he allowed three runs on four hits with two walks.
Boston on Tuesday will try to make sure Rodriguez won't be looking to lead Detroit to a sweep. The middle game of the Red Sox-Tigers series is slated to begin at 1 p.m. ET, and NESN's full coverage will begin at noon.
