David Ortiz starting at first base today

Today, the Boston Red Sox have an interleague matchup where they face the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta. Since Boston is playing in Atlanta, obviously there is no DH. With that being said, David Ortiz is in today’s Red Sox lineup as the starting first baseman in order to get some at-bats.

Ortiz has yet to see action in the regular season at first base, since he is the starting designated hitter for Boston. With Mike Napoli on the DL and Mike Carp struggling, this could not come at a better time for Boston since this puts them on an even playing field. Boston is now on an even playing field because now they have a great player in Ortiz at first without taking him out of the DH role. Obviously Atlanta does not have a DH which helps equalize the two lineups, giving Boston a legitimate shot at winning today.

At first, Ortiz is far from a lock, but he is not terrible either. There is a reason why he does not play first base on a regular basis, so expect Boston to take a hit defensively at first in order to get Papi’s bat in the lineup. The last time Ortiz played first base in a game was in game five of the World Series last season. In that game Ortiz was three for four with a double. At the end of the game, Boston replaced him defensively with Mike Napoli.

Overall, this is a smart move by manager John Farrell. It must have been a no-brainer for Farrell, but it could be all the Red Sox need to snap a ten game losing streak.