White Sox Starting Rookie Pedro Hernandez For Wednesday

Which White Sox pitchers the Red Sox would face in the last two games of a four-game set wasn't quite clear at the outset of the series. Gavin Floyd was a question mark, having his start skipped Monday, and there was the possibility of Jake Peavy pitching game four on Thursday. With Gavin Floyd headed to the disabled list for now, the White Sox have gone with a rookie in Wednesday's game, though, pushing Jose Quintana to Thursday's contest.

Pedro Hernandez, acquired this off-season from the San Diego Padres in the Carlos Quentin swap, will make his major-league debut at Fenway Park. He's a left-hander, 23 years old, who is now on his third level of the 2012 season. Hernandez began the year at Double-A, where he threw 68 frames, striking out just 4.8 per nine with a 2.1 K/BB, but has struck out 11 hitters in 12 innings at Triple-A.

In his career at the higher levels, Hernandez is more of a pitch-to-contact hurler who also shows good control. He's walked just 1.6 batters per nine in his minor-league career, and has issued just 35 walks in 140 frames between Double- and Triple-A. That control will be challenged by a patient Red Sox team, one that, despite being lefty-heavy, has hit southpaws nearly 20 percent better than the league average this season.

Hernandez isn't likely to start forever in the bigs, according to Baseball Prospectus's Kevin Goldstein, who says that Hernandez, "has a seventh-inning ceiling." With any luck, the Red Sox will start him swiftly down that path Wednesday.