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John Farrell is finally giving the Red Sox' batting order a shakeup. Behold:
| LOS ANGELES ANGELS | BOSTON RED SOX |
|---|---|
| Erick Aybar - SS | Dustin Pedroia - 2B |
| Mike Trout - CF | Shane Victorino - RF |
| Albert Pujols - 1B | Hanley Ramirez - LF |
| Kole Calhoun - RF | David Ortiz - DH |
| David Freese - 3B | Xander Bogaerts - SS |
| Matt Joyce - LF | Mike Napoli - 1B |
| Carlos Perez - C | Rusney Castillo - CF |
| Marc Krauss - DH | Brock Holt - 3B |
| Johnny Giavotella - 2B | Blake Swihart - C |
| C.J. Wilson - LHP | Steven Wright - RHP |
Well, it's certainly a new look. Hanley and Papi have switched places at 3 and 4, and Xander Bogaerts is all the way up at no. 5. Mookie Betts is missing entirely with Rusney Castillo getting the start in center and Shane Victorino in right against the left-handed C.J. Wilson. That leaves Pedroia leading off, with Holt and Swihart bringing up the rear.
Here's the thing...shake-ups like this are always far more placebo than panacea. The one real impactful change, likely, is Betts being out for whoever he might be out for. And, of course, the continued absence of Pablo Sandoval though, with a lefty on the mound, that might be for the best.
Of course, the Red Sox did actually manage to score some runs last night, albeit in a horrendous blowout in the other team's favor. Maybe they'll actually manage to do so in two straight games despite facing the lefty. Whatever the case, though, that's probably not going to be so much because of any given player's spot in the lineup. Chances are John Farrell's just trying everything in the arsenal at this point. It's probably not going to hurt, and God knows, this team is not in a position to pass on anything that might help.
First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. ET with broadcasts on FOX and WEEI.