Red Sox Lineup 6/12: Will Middlebrooks Bats Cleanup

The Sox are stacking their lineup with as many right-handed bats as possible against the left-handed Mark Buehrle tonight, which means no David Ortiz, and both Will Middlebrooks and Kevin Youkilis in the infield.

While Buehrle does have big splits this year, they don't really pan out over the course of his career, and given the fact that David Ortiz is about the only really exceptional bat in the lineup so far this year, it's a tough call to get him out of the lineup. Ideally, it would probably be Adrian Gonzalez coming out for him, but given the reality of interleague play, Gonzalez is likely only in the lineup because it's either him or another outfielder, since he's the only one of the infield trio who has been given any time in right.

What is noticeable is the continued absence of Daniel Nava, who is apparently still a few days away from returning.

Also of note is the fact that Will Middlebrooks is batting cleanup. It's a nice sign of faith in our exciting young third baseman, but it's worth considering the sort of pitcher Mark Buehrle is. Given his extensive use of off-speed stuff, Will may well struggle against his advanced secondary offerings.