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The Red Sox will field most of their starting lineup Saturday afternoon against the Twins, with only Shane Victorino ("general soreness") and Christian Vazquez missing out. Meanwhile, they'll send their backups off to face the Orioles in Sarasota.
Red Sox (vs. Twins)
- Mookie Betts, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Hanley Ramirez, LF
- Pablo Sandoval, 3B
- Mike Napoli, 1B
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Ryan Hanigan, C
- Blake Tekotte, RF
Starting Pitcher -- Clay Buchholz
Red Sox (vs. Orioles)
- Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
- Jemile Weeks, 2B
- Allen Craig, LF
- Bryan LaHair, DH
- Blake Swihart, C
- Garin Cecchini, 3B
- Bryce Brentz, RF
- Travis Shaw, 1B
- Jeff Bianchi, SS
Starting Pitcher -- Steven Wright
It's a little concerning seeing Victorino on the sidelines so early in spring. John Farrell says it's not related to his back, so hopefully it's the sort of thing which goes away entirely as he gets into the rhythm of the season. Still, one week ago the Red Sox had too many outfielders, but today the best starting group they could field would include at least one of Daniel Nava, Allen Craig, or--more likely--Jackie Bradley Jr., given the defensive liability the first two pose.
Instead, the A-team will feature Blake Tekotte which, no offense to Tekotte, is hopefully not a scenario that will arise after April. Christian Vazquez' absence is, it would appear, just a matter of having him catch Rick Porcello and Wade Miley on Sunday and Monday. So no injury concern there.
First pitch for both games is at 1:05 p.m. with broadcasts on WEEI and, for the Baltimore game, the Orioles' station 105.7 (and likely MLB Audio as a result).