It’s Red Sox vs. Indians in a makeup game for a rained out April contest. Well, maybe. You hope so. The tarp is currently on the field at Progressive, and that’s not a great sign, but given the schedules of the Red Sox and Indians the rest of the way, and the date on the calendar, they’ll very likely have to squeeze this one in regardless.
Boston has days off on September 1, 8, and 26. The Indians are also off on September 1, and will already be mid-homestand at that time, but with so little wiggle room left for either team, you imagine that MLB just wants to get this one done now while they’re in Cleveland.
That’s Mookie Betts, who hit three homers on Sunday against the D-Backs, batting cleanup. No Hanley Ramirez today (or Tuesday or Wednesday) as he’s on the bereavement list. That means Travis Shaw at first and Aaron Hill at third against Indians’ righty starter Josh Tomlin.
Drew Pomeranz seems to have mostly bounced back from his rough introductions to the Red Sox, and is hoping to keep his recent success going against first-place Cleveland. Pomeranz has 11 strikeouts over his last two starts and 11 innings with just three runs allowed, but he’s not quite there yet. A strong performance Monday would help a whole lot of people breathe a sigh of relief, especially as the Sox kick off a potentially season-defining road trip through Cleveland, Baltimore, and Detroit.
Go Sox!