The Boston Red Sox will bounce back in the second game of a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays with a hampered lineup Wednesday night.
Brayan Bello gets the nod in his first game back from the 15-day injured list with a groin strain. The right-hander will be challenged by a Blue Jays offense that scored nine runs Tuesday night in the series opener at Fenway Park.
He'll oppose José BerrÃos, a talented pitcher who is enduring an unusually tough season. The 28-year-old still has a high chase rate and unhittable curveball but is getting hit almost as hard as anyone in Major League Baseball. He's currently in the third percentile in expected slugging percentage, sixth percentile in barrel percentage, ninth percentile in expected batting average against, 10th percentile in hard hit percentage and 12th percentile in average exit velocity. In normal terms, he's getting hit hard and often despite what most would assume from his pedigree.
BerrÃos will face a, quite frankly, unusual Red Sox lineup due to the almost unfathomable amount of injuries Boston has sustained in the last few days. On the day it was announced pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and first baseman Eric Hosmer were headed to the injured list, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Christian Arroyo and Tommy Pham all got banged up against the Blue Jays.
With a short roster Wednesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora had to get creative. Kiké Hernández will play second base for the first time this season, batting fifth. Franchy Cordero will be inserted at first base, batting sixth, which allows Bobby Dalbec to move over to shortstop, where he has four innings played in his career. Reese McGuire will be behind the dish after making his Red Sox pitching debut Tuesday.
You can watch Wednesday's game between the Red Sox and Blue Jays with NESN 360. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage.
Check out the full Red Sox vs. Blue Jays lineups below.
BOSTON RED SOX (60-63)
Rob Refsnyder, RF
Alex Verdugo, LF
J.D. Martinez, DH
Rafael Devers, 3B
Kiké Hernández, CF
Franchy Cordero, 1B
Bobby Dalbec, SS
Reese McGuire, C
Jarren Duran, CF
Brayan Bello, RHP (0-3, 8.47 ERA)
TORONTO BLUE JAYS (66-55)
George Springer, DH
Vladimir Guerrero, 1B
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., LF
Alejandro Kirk, C
Teoscar Hernandez, RF
Bo Bichette, SS
Matt Chapman, 3B
Whit Merrifield, 2B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
José BerrÃos, RHP (9-5, 5.39 ERA)
