Credit Carl Crawford for making the trip today. Others might have bowed out given a similar situation, with his being the latest and perhaps hardest felt in a string of players lost by Tampa Bay to free agency. But here he is, back in the lineup, ready to try and push his new team past his old team, the Rays, even if only in spring training.
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Carl Crawford, LF
3. Mike Cameron, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. Ryan Kalish, RF
6. Nate Spears, 1B
7. Paul Hoover, C
8. Oscar Tejeda, 2B
9. Jose Iglesias, SS
Interesting to see Crawford in the #2 spot. I know that's where a lot of us are hoping to see him come April.
This is actually a pretty solid road squad on the whole. Spears and Hoover are the only "holes" to be found, and really, I'd not count Spears on that list after last year.
Manny Ramirez, meanwhile, will not be in today's lineup, having begged out of the game likely due to the wet field. Johnny Damon will bat second as the DH.
On the mound it's going to be a battle of the back-end of the rotations, with Daisuke Matsuzaka taking on Andy Sonnanstine.
The game is available on the MLB Network for those who have it, as well as MLB.TV.
Go Sox!