Red Sox vs Orioles: Game 2 lineups and notes

The Boston Red Sox offense awoke last night, plating eight runs in defense of Drew Pomeranz. They’ll look to repeat that success tonight as they go for a series win over their division rivals.

I don’t think that there was a Red Sox fan out there who expected to see Drew Pomeranz to give the Red Sox 6+ innings, six strikeouts, one walk, just four hits and allow one earned run. After averaging just 5.1 innings per start with the club last season, getting a plasma injection into his elbow in the offseason, suffering a triceps injury in the spring, and hitting the DL before the season started with a forearm flexor strain, I surely didn’t. Maybe he just needed a blank slate to perform without the weight of a playoff holding him back. Or maybe yesterday was nothing more than an anomaly. Time will tell.

Red Sox: Starting Pitcher – Steven Wright 

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

Steven Wright gets the ball in this one and looks to rebound from a poor first start, in which he tossed 6.2 innings, giving up four earned, walking three, and striking out four. He held the Tigers to just one run through five innings before running into trouble in the seventh and battled with poor knuckleball conditions all day. After the unbelievable spring he had, I’d expect him to rebound nicely tonight. He has a lifetime 2.45 ERA against the Orioles, with a 2-0 record in 22 innings pitched.

The lineup is essentially identical to yesterday’s, except Sandy Leon is back at catcher after getting a night off in place of Christian Vazquez. Between the two, they’re arguably the best catching duo in baseball and have put up torrid numbers to start the season. With the flu taking out half their lineup to start the year, it’s been their pair of backstops that have kept them afloat.

Speaking of the flu, it looks like it’s finally ceased to wreck havoc. Hanley’s back in the lineup for the second consecutive game, Mookie picked up a couple hits last night after missing the first half of the Detroit series, and Benintendi stopped throwing up in between innings long enough to allow himself to pick up three hits in yesterday’s game. The eight-spot they put up yesterday proves that they’re back.

Baltimore Orioles: Starting pitcher – Ubaldo Jimenez

1. Seth Smith, RF
2. Adam Jones, CF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Chris Davis, 1B
5. Mark Trumbo, DH
6. Wellington Castillo, C
7. Trey Mancini, LF
8. Jonathan Schoop, 2B
9. JJ Hardy, SS

Ubaldo Jimenez carries a pretty 10.38 ERA into Boston after giving up five runs in 4.1 innings during his season debut.

Next: Red Sox prospect watch

First pitch is at 7:10 pm. As always, the game will be available on NESN, MLB TV and WEEI.