Marco Scutaro will play shortstop in the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night at Fenway Park, playing in place of Jed Lowrie, who was placed on the 15-day Disabled List with a shoulder injury. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT, and the game can be seen on NESN and MLB Network and heard on the radio on 850 AM WEEI. Here are the lineups for both teams.
Boston Red Sox (41-27)
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
- Kevin Youkilis, 3B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Marco Scutaro, SS
- J.D. Drew, RF
- Jason Varitek, C
- Rickie Weeks, 2B
- Nyjer Morgan, CF
- Ryan Braun, LF
- Prince Fielder, DH
- Casey McGehee, 3B
- Corey Hart, RF
- Mark Kotsay, 1B
- Jonathan Lucroy, C
- Craig Counsell, SS
But then somewhere between that May 12 start and the next time he saw them on August 11, the Red Sox figured him out. He would pitch 16 more innings against the Sox that year, giving up 17 earned runs in the process.
Marcum was always a capable pitcher in the American League, and seems to be more than that in the National League. But whether or not he's learned how to get the Red Sox out could be another matter entirely.
Of course, the same can be said for John Lackey and any batters. To be fair to Lackey, he was quite serviceable in his last start, and could have had a downright good night were it not for the decision to let him throw 112 pitches in just his second start back in the majors after a month-long absence.
Still, until Lackey actually goes out there and puts together a total package sort of game, it's hard to trust him against any team, much less one with a middle-of-the-order the likes of Milwaukee's.
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