Dustin Pedroia, proud new father of a healthy baby boy, will be absent from Boston's lineup Thursday night as the Red Sox take on the Yankees in the rubber match of their three-game set. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. EST with broadcasts on NESN, the MLB Network, and WEEI.
Pedroia's absence will give Ivan De Jesus a chance to get some time starting with the team, but it also means a pretty slim chance for a win. The lineup was already weak while Pedroia, by far their hottest hitter, was slotted into the third spot. Now that James Loney is forced to take his place, making the lineup that much thinner, that much shallower, it's hard to see how this group is going to score runs.
The best news of the day is that Jarrod Satalamacchia will be playing again, one day after clobbering a homer, triple, and double in his return to the starting lineup after missing a few games with back spasms. Salty will bat sixth behind Cody Ross and Daniel Nava, also making his second straight start.
Boston Red Sox (64-79)
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Scott Podsednik, DH
- James Loney, 1B
- Cody Ross, RF
- Daniel Nava, LF
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
- Mike Aviles, SS
- Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
- Ivan De Jesus, 2B
New York Yankees (80-62)
- Derek Jeter, DH
- Nick Swisher, RF
- Alex Rodriguez, 3B
- Robinson Cano, 2B
- Russell Martin, C
- Andruw Jones, LF
- Curtis Granderson, CF
- Steve Pearce, 1B
- Eduardo Nunez, SS
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