The Red Sox will feature a full lineup Friday against Bartolo Colon as the Yankees come to town for the first time since the home opener series.
Although Bartolo Colon has had a strong season so far, the Red Sox will be all-too-happy so see him come to town after scoring just 10 runs against the Indians over their last three games, including three runs Thursday against Justin Masterson, who is proving to be quite a Red Sox killer ever since they traded him for Victor Martinez.
It will be a typical lineup welcoming Colon to Fenway, including Jarrod Saltalamacchia at the plate and Josh Reddick in right field.
Boston Red Sox (68-42)
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
- Kevin Youkilis, 3B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
- Josh Reddick, RF
- Marco Scutaro, SS
The Yankees are not quite so full, with Alex Rodriguez still on the disabled list after his knee surgery. Jorge Posada will start at DH despite his terrible numbers vs. lefties, with right-handed Andruw Jones taking over for Brett Gardner in left (which the Sox hitters will be happy to see).
New York Yankees (68-42)
- Derek Jeter, SS
- Curtis Granderson, CF
- Mark Teixeira, 1B
- Robinson Cano, 2B
- Nick Swisher, RF
- Andruw Jones, LF
- Russell Martin, C
- Jorge Posada, DH
- Eduardo Nunez, 3B
Pitching Matchup: Jon Lester (11-4, 3.17 ERA) vs. Bartolo Colon (8-6, 3.30 ERA)
The Yankees' lineup isn't looking as formidable as usual without Rodriguez, but it's still plenty dangerous, particularly to a lefty. Perhaps that's why Lester has had a couple of lackluster games against them this year, allowing 7 runs in twelve innings so far this season. He's back at full strength after his DL stint--a fact made clear by his dominant outing against the White Sox--but hasn't faced a really strong lineup since before his injury.
Some of the shine has come off Bartolo Colon this past month. His 3.82 ERA in the month is the result of a lot of help from the eccentricities of unearned runs, but there's no way to really sugarcoat the eight runs he allowed to the Blue Jays in the first inning on July 7. He's been alright since that, though, and hasn't had too much trouble against the Red Sox so far this year. It might be all they can hope for that the miracle procedure that turned him from a mediocrity back into his Cy Young winning self chooses August to stop working its magic.