The good news is that we won't have to put up with Che-Hsuan Lin and Jose Iglesias batting back-to-back anymore.
The bad news is that we're still talking about a Red Sox lineup, and one that's still without Jacoby Ellsbury. At what point does this stop being an annoying sidestory and become a serious concern about his durability? I mean, beyond the concerns any of us might already have.
Since neither Lin nor Ellsbury is in, that means it's Scott Podsednik time in center field. Both Lavarnway and Salty will find their way into the lineup as well, with Mauro Gomez the odd man out in the first base/catcher/DH mess that the team is currently dealing with.
Boston Red Sox (69-86)
- Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
- Scott Podsednik, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Cody Ross, RF
- James Loney, 1B
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
- Ryan Lavarnway, DH
- Daniel Nava, LF
- Jose Iglesias, SS
Tampa Bay Rays (84-70)
- Desmond Jennings, RF
- B.J. Upton, CF
- Ben Zobrist, SS
- Evan Longoria, 3B
- Jeff Keppinger, DH
- Carlos Pena, 1B
- Ben Francisco, LF
- Ryan Roberts, 2B
- Jose Lobaton, C