Nathan Eovaldi will jump into the deep end Friday night when the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees begin a three-game series in the Bronx.
Not only is the Red Sox ace making his first start since June 8, but he's also facing the best team in Major League Baseball -- on the road, no less -- and is tasked with playing the role of stopper.
The Red Sox arrive in New York having just suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays, who moved into second place in the American League East, 13 games behind the first-place Yankees. Boston enters Friday 15 1/2 games back of the Yankees, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays and just a game and a half ahead of the last-place Baltimore Orioles.
Put simply, Eovaldi will have his hands full, especially when you consider the Bronx Bombers rank first in MLB in runs scored (466), home runs (150) and OPS (.768). The 32-year-old hasn't started for Boston in over a month due to a back issue.
Rob Refsnyder will lead off in the series opener as the Red Sox face left-hander Jordan Montgomery. He'll play right field and be joined on the grass by Alex Verdugo and Jackie Bradley Jr. in left field and center field, respectively.
Trevor Story remains out of the Red Sox lineup after being hit on the hand by a pitch in Tuesday night's game against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Jeter Downs draws the start at second base, alongside shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and will bat ninth.
First pitch from Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, and NESN will have a full hour of pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m.
The full lineups for Friday night's Red Sox vs. Yankees game are below.
BOSTON RED SOX (47-43)
Rob Refsnyder, RF
Rafael Devers, 3B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Alex Verdugo, LF
Christian Vázquez, C
Bobby Dalbec, 1B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Jeter Downs, 2B
Nathan Eovaldi, RHP (4-2, 3.16 ERA)
NEW YORK YANKEES (62-27)
DJ LeMahieu, 3B
Aaron Judge, CF
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Giancarlo Stanton, RF
Gleyber Torres, 2B
Matt Carpenter, DH
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
Kyle Higashioka, C
Joey Gallo, LF
Jordan Montgomery, LHP (3-2, 3.19 ERA)
