There are two things of note in tonight's Red Sox lineup.

First, Will Middlebrooks is still absent. After hurting his hamstring in the final game against the Mariners, Boston's young first baseman missed out on the series opener against the Athletics, and is once again being spelled by Nick Punto in tonight's lineup. With Mauro Gomez on the way up, one wonders if a DL stint isn't incoming.

The second is that Cody Ross is hitting cleanup against the right-handed Bartolo Colon. This is, of course, a break from what has become the traditional arrangement, with Cody Ross batting fourth only against left-handers while Jarrod Saltalamacchia takes the role against right-handed pitchers.

That could be because Salty is struggling a bit at the plate, or because Ross is on such a roll. Either way, it'll probably result in more runs than yesterday provided.