The Boston Red Sox will do their best to avoid a sweep in the last of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night at Target Field.
Michael Wacha will toe the rubber for Boston, who has been the most consistent pitcher for the Red Sox this season and aims to secure his 10th win of the season. Wacha continues to post productive starts despite his underlying metrics indicating a he should come back to reality in a harsh fashion. As long as he can keep missing barrels, he should be just fine against the Twins.
Minnesota will roll out Joe Ryan, who could be deemed one of the most underrated starters in Major League Baseball. Ryan ranks in the 25th percentile in fastball velocity, averaging 91.8 mph, yet is only being hit at a .181 clip against his heater. Right fielder Alex Verdugo and third baseman Rafael Devers will seek out Ryan's curveball, which is being hit at a .381 clip but is thrown to left-handed hitting 80% of the time.
Despite Ryan throwing from the right side, the Red Sox will only deploy two left-handed hitters. The bottom of the order will be revamped after Tuesday's loss. Bobby Dalbec will replace Franchy Cordero at first base, batting eighth. Kevin Plawecki will handle the catching duties in place of Reese McGuire, batting ninth.
You can watch Wednesday's game between the Red Sox and Twins with NESN 360. First pitch from Target Field is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage.
Check out the full Red Sox vs. Twins lineups below.
BOSTON RED SOX (62-68)
Tommy Pham, LF
Alex Verdugo, RF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Rafael Devers, 3B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Trevor Story, 2B
Kiké Hernández, CF
Bobby Dalbec, 1B
Kevin Plawecki, C
Michael Wacha, RHP (9-1, 2.53 ERA)
MINNESOTA TWINS (67-61)
Luis Arraez, DH
Carlos Correa, SS
Jose Miranda, 1B
Max Kepler, RF
Kyle Garlick, LF
Gio Urshela, 3B
Nick Gordon, 2B
Gilberto Celestino, CF
Sandy León, C
Joe Ryan, RHP (10-6, 3.65 ERA)
