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The Red Sox have their full starting nine back in action Friday night as they take on the Baltimore Orioles for the first time in 2015.
Boston Red Sox (6-3)
- Mookie Betts, CF
- Dustin Pedoria, 2B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Hanley Ramirez, LF
- Pablo Sandoval, 3B
- Mike Napoli, 1B
- Shane Victorino, RF
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Ryan Hanigan, C
Starting Pitcher -- Joe Kelly
Baltimore Orioles (5-4)
- Alejandro De Aza, LF
- Steve Pearce, 1B
- Travis Snider, RF
- Adam Jones, CF
- Chris Davis, DH
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Caleb Joseph, C
- Everth Cabrera, SS
- Jonathan Schoop, 2B
Starting Pitcher -- Ubaldo Jimenez
The day off has helped the Red Sox avoid a potential bullpen disaster after Wade Miley's disaster outing, but that doesn't mean they don't need a big start from Joe Kelly tonight. After positive signs from the entire rotation the first time through, three of the five have taken their turn in the rotation to light a dumpster on fire like its some kind of unfortunate new art form. If Joe Kelly follows in their footsteps, it's going to be discouraging indeed.
Unfortunately for Kelly, he'll have to work against the hottest team the Red Sox have come up against at the plate. Nine games into the season, and the Orioles are fourth in the league by wRC+, trailing just the Royals, Tigers, and Dodgers. The Red Sox, for comparison's sake, come in at 103, though they've managed to score nine more runs than Baltimore to date.
A couple good games for the Red Sox could switch those numbers around. But Kelly's going to have to break the trend first.
First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET with broadcasts on NESN, the MLB Network, and WEEI.
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