The Boston Red Sox are looking to stay the course against the Texas Rangers.
Alex Cora makes one personnel change to the Red Sox lineup for Saturday’s matchup with the Rangers, the second contest in their three-game weekend series. Bobby Dalbec returns for Boston as first baseman and No. 8 hitter. Dalbec entered Friday’s Red Sox-Rangers game, which the Red Sox won 7-1, in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter for Alex Verdugo.
Perhaps that substitution foreshadowed Saturday’s game, as Verdugo drops to the bench, with Dalbec replacing him in the starting lineup. Franchy Cordero will switch from first base to left field to accommodate both Dalbec’s return and Verdugo’s absence.
Cordero also rises from seventh to sixth in Boston’s batting order. Second baseman Trevor Story and catcher Christian Vázquez also each climb one spot in the order to fifth and seventh, respectively.
Left-handed pitcher Rich Hill returns from COVID-19 protocol to start on the mound for the Red Sox. Righty Glenn Otto opposes Hill for the Rangers.
The Red Sox have won two of their last three games, racking up 19 runs combined in that span.
NESN+ will air Red Sox-Rangers in full, with pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m. with “Red Sox First Pitch,” followed by “Red Sox Gameday Live” at 6:30 p.m. First pitch from Globe Life Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. NESN will join the action in-progress following the end of the Boston Bruins versus Carolina Hurricanes Game 7, and postgame coverage will follow the final out on NESN and NESN+.
Remember, if you’re on the go, you can stream Red Sox vs. Rangers online at Watch NESN Live and on the NESN app.
Here are the starting lineups for Saturday’s Red Sox-Rangers game:
BOSTON RED SOX (12-20)
Kiké Hernández, CF
Rafael Devers, 3B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Trevor Story, 2B
Franchy Cordero, LF
Christian Vázquez, C
Bobby Dalbec, 1B
Jackie Bradley Jr., RF
Rich Hill, LHP (0-1, 2.86 ERA)
TEXAS RANGERS (13-18)
Eli White, CF
Marcus Semien, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Jonah Heim, DH
Nick Solak, LF
Andy Ibáñez, 1B
Kole Calhoun, RF
Sam Huff, C
Charlie Culberson, 3B
Glenn Otto, RHP (1-0, 3.14 ERA)
