Will a pair of regular starters push the Boston Red Sox over the hump that is the Houston Astros?
Bobby Dalbec and Christian Vázquez return to the Red Sox lineup on Wednesday for their series finale against the Astros at Fenway Park. The teams split the first two games of the series -- Boston won Monday, and Houston triumphed Tuesday -- and winner of Wednesday's matchup will claim the series.
After entering the first two games as a substitute, Dalbec starts at first base and bats eighth. His return to the lineup moves Franchy Cordero from first base to right field, where he'll replace Jackie Bradley Jr., who starts on the bench.
Alex Cora gave Vázquez an off day Tuesday, with Kevin Plawecki spelling him for one game. Vázquez returns as catcher and the No. 9 hitter.
Nick Pivetta is the Red Sox's starting pitcher. The right-hander struggled at the start of the season but since has posted a 2.45 ERA in his last four starts, per the Red Sox.
The Astros counter with right-handed pitcher Luis Garcia.
NESN will air Red Sox-Astros in full, with pregame coverage beginning at 5 p.m. with "Red Sox First Pitch," followed by "Red Sox Gameday Live" at 5:30 p.m. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET. Remember, if you're on the go, you can stream the game online at Watch NESN Live and on the NESN app.
Here are the full lineups for Wednesday's matchup:
BOSTON RED SOX (14-22)
Kiké Hernández, CF
Rafael Devers, 3B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Alex Verdugo, LF
Trevor Story, 2B
Franchy Cordero, RF
Bobby Dalbec, 1B
Christian Vázquez, C
Nick Pivetta, RHP (1-4, 5.08 ERA)
HOUSTON ASTROS (24-13)
Jose Altuve, 2B
Michael Brantley, LF
Aledmys Díaz, 3B
Yordan Alvarez, DH
Yuli Gurriel, 1B
Kyle Tucker, RF
Chas McCormick, CF
Jeremy Peña, SS
Martín Maldonado, C
Luis Garcia, RHP (3-1, 2.94 ERA)
