The Red Sox have made an interesting change in their lineup after being rained out Friday night: Carl Crawford will bat second in the lineup against Freddy Garcia. It's a strong vote of confidence from manager Terry Francona after a 28-day span that has seen Crawford bat .310/.355/.535--much more in line with what the Sox had been expecting from him all year.
Perhaps even more interesting is what this does to the rest of the lineup. Perhaps due to his shoulder difficulties, Adrian Gonzalez will be moved to the fifth spot in the order. While this might make early runs a bit less of a sure thing, by putting Gonzalez into that spot after a line of huge OBP threats, it could give the Sox a chance to get big impacts from their first baseman and stop wasting so many opportunities.
Boston Red Sox (88-68)
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
- Mike Aviles, 3B
- Marco Scutaro, SS
- Josh Reddick, RF
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia,C
- Derek Jeter, SS
- Curtis Granderson, CF
- Mark Teixeira, 1B
- Alex Rodriguez, 3B
- Robinson Cano, 2B
- Nick Swisher, RF
- Andruw Jones, LF
- Jesus Montero, DH
- Russell Martin, C
The pitching matchup remains the same from yesterday:
Pitching Matchup: Jon Lester (15-8, 3.15 ERA) vs. Freddy Garcia (11-8, 3.77 ERA)
One thing Jon Lester is missing in a pretty impressive overall season this year is a big start against the Yankees. What's worse, he's had difficulties in the same way that he's had them of late, giving up 12 free passes in four starts, none lasting more than six innings. If he can find the zone--or get a favorably wide one--then he could be home free. If not, then it's more bullpen fun for a Red Sox team not terribly well equipped for late game scenarios of late.
The best news is that there haven't been many pitchers worse against the Sox than Freddy Garcia. He hasn't even made it through the end of the sixth against Boston in three starts, and was once chased in the second with seven baserunners allowed. The Sox hammer his junkballs when they're in the zone, and take them when they're not. He just hasn't confused them much at all.