Red Sox vs. Braves: A strange "stopper" opportunity for Clay Buchholz

The Red Sox do not have an ace, but Clay Buchholz probably has about as good a shot as any other pitcher on the staff of claiming that title. Tuesday he'll have a chance to play the part of "stopper" not for the team, which came back to win Monday's game against the Mets, but for a rotation that has seen very little go right these past few days. Miley, Masterson, and Kelly have all been knocked around, with Kelly having an injury scare mixed in. The spring started with an encouraging pair of weeks for the pitchers. They could use a decent day today.

Boston Red Sox (8-5)

1. Mookie Betts, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Hanley Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Napoli, DH
6. Daniel Nava, RF
7. Allen Craig, 1B
8. Xander Bogaerts, SS
9. Blake Swihart, C

Starting Pitcher -- Clay Buchholz

We haven't had very many of these games where the Red Sox go half-and-half with the starters. Out are David Ortiz, Shane Victorino, and Christian Vazquez, leaving us with a lineup that looks closer to something we might see mid-season when the disabled list is in play than anything expected in March. Still, with the game on television, we'll take what we can get.

First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. ET with broadcasts on NESN and the MLB Network.