The Red Sox will kick off their crucial four-game set against the New York Yankees Friday night as they send Josh Beckett to the mound against Hiroki Kurodi. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. EST with broadcasts on NESN and WEEI.

It seems for now that the Jarrod Saltalamacchia cleanup experiment is on hold. This is likely due to the fact that Salty, after another apparent breakout, is now hitting .181/.241/.408 in his last 83 trips to the plate. Adrian Gonzalez will take over for him in the fourth spot. While the first baseman is not exactly setting the world on fire--his home run count continues tor rise glacially--he has managed a solid .349/.379/.429 line during his 15-game hitting streak.

Otherwise, it's the same injury-depleted lineup as the last time out, featuring the likes of Mauro Gomez and Nick Punto.

Boston Red Sox (42-40)

1. Daniel Nava, LF
2. Ryan Kalish, C
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Cody Ross, RF
5. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
7. Mauro Gomez, 3B
8. Mike Aviles, SS
9. Nick Punto, 2B

New York Yankees (49-32)

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Curtis Granderson, CF
3. Alex Rodriguez, DH
4. Robinson Cano, 2B
5. Mark Teixeira, 1B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Raul Ibanez, LF
8. Eric Chavez, 3B
9. Russell Martin, C

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.