Red Sox vs. Orioles lineups: Hanley plays DH after injury scare

Hanley Ramirez will play designated hitter against Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen Wednesday evening despite leaving Tuesday's game after fouling a pitch off his knee.

While the Red Sox are certainly happy just to get Hanley Ramirez both out of the field and off that knee as much as possible, this is as much about keeping Ortiz away from the lefty as anything else, with the Red Sox continuing to utilize an unorthodox platoon at DH. With Ramirez out of left, Brock Holt will take over in the outfield, with Rusney Castillo playing right and batting ninth.

It's probably just about the best defense the Red Sox can put on the field right now behind Rick Porcello, which is good news for a starter who seems to be struggling to establish momentum. It wasn't long ago that he was pushing respectable, but just when he seemed ready to put his early season struggles behind him, five homers in three games undid the good work and good feelings alike. Still, he bounced back last time out with eight strong innings (in an offense-free loss, unfortunately), and would probably like to make that less a positive blip on the radar than the start of another strong stretch on the mound.

First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET with broadcasts on NESN, WEEI, and ESPN.

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