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Red Sox vs Rays: Lineups and notes

By Daniel Cassese

Apr 9, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello (22) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello (22) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Red Sox kick off a four-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays tonight with a battle of aces.

The Red Sox are looking for back-to-back wins for just the second time this season. They previously defeated the Pirates in the first two games of their opening series before a rainout forced their third and final game to be made up last night. They didn’t play a pretty game and it looked like they were ready to continue their offensive struggles, but the bats came through when it mattered most, rallying late to come back and win it 4-3.

Red Sox Lineup: Starting Pitcher – Rick Porcello

  1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
  2. Andrew Benintendi, CF
  3. Mookie Betts, RF
  4. Hanley Ramirez, DH
  5. Mitch Moreland, 1B
  6. Xander Bogaerts, SS
  7. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
  8. Chris Young, LF
  9. Sandy Leon, C

The Cy Young winner gets the ball tonight and makes his third start of the season. With a 4.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP through his first two starts, it hasn’t looked like the typical Porcello we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. But he’s pitched better than his numbers suggest. Were it not for an unusual 12 base-runners allowed in six innings over his last start, his WHIP wouldn’t be so astronomically high. He’s also coming in with a 13:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 12.1 innings.

As for the lineup, there aren’t any surprises here. When fully healthy, this is the lineup we can expect to see on a daily basis, with the addition of Jackie Bradley. Speaking of JBJ, he was seen wearing a knee brace as he took batting practice and ran in the outfield. He went on the 10-day DL four days ago and if everything goes according to plan, he should be back in the lineup by the time they wrap up their series in Toronto on the 20th.

Rays Lineup: Starting Pitcher – Chris Archer

  1. Corey Dickerson, LF
  2. Kevin Kiermaier, CF
  3. Evan Longoria, 3B
  4. Brad Miller, 2B
  5. Steven Souza, RF
  6. Logan Morrison, 1B
  7. Derek Norris, C
  8. Shane Peterson, DH
  9. Tim Beckham, SS

Next: The Red Sox have Chris Archer's number

The Red Sox come into this game 4-1 at home while the Rays are 0-3 on the road. First pitch is at 7:10 pm.

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