Red Sox swap three players in lineup for series finale vs. Rays
Red Sox swap three players in lineup for series finale vs. Rays
After the Boston Red Sox took the first two games of the series from the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, the two teams will meet for the finale on Wednesday.
Boston will send Brayan Bello to the mound for the start while Tampa Bay counters with Ryan Pepiot.
Here's what Alex Cora's lineup looks like for the finale:
- Jarren Duran LF
- Wilyer Abreu RF
- Connor Wong C
- Rafael Devers 3B
- Rob Refsnyder DH
- Garrett Cooper 1B
- David Hamilton SS
- Vaughn Grissom 2B
- Ceddanne Rafaela
And, here's Kevin Cash's:
- Yandy Diaz 1B
- Josh Lowe CF
- Randy Arozarena LF
- Brandon Lowe 2B
- Isaac Paredes 3B
- Jonathan Aranda DH
- Jose Caballero SS
- Richie Palacios RF
- Ben Rortvedt C
Bello has been decent to start the year, posting a 3.96 ERA and a 1.13 in his first seven starts. However, he gave up a season-high five runs against the St. Louis Cardinals in his last outing. Seven Rays have hits against him in his career - Aranda (3-for-6 with an RBI and a walk), Arozarena (2-for-9 with two RBIs and two walks), Caballero (1-for-1 with an RBI and a walk), Diaz (5-for-7 with an RBI and a walk), Brandon Lowe (1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk), Josh Lowe (7-for-14 with a home run and four RBIs) and Paredes (2-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and a walk).
Pepiot has been solid for Tampa Bay as well, posting a 3.68 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in his seven starts. No Red Sox have ever recorded a hit off of the 26-year-old.
A win for Boston would give them their first sweep of Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field since April 2019 and would extend their lead over them in third place to 1.5 games.