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Red Sox vs. Indians lineups: Sox stay the same as rain looms

If the weather permits, we'll get our first look at Clay Buchholz tonight. For better or for worse.

By Ben Buchanan
Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Red Sox won't mess with success, sending the same lineup against Carlos Carrasco that got to Corey Kluber on Tuesday. The question is whether or not they'll be able to get this game in with rain in the forecast for Cleveland.

Boston Red Sox (1-0)

  1. Mookie Betts, RF
  2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
  3. Xander Bogaerts, SS
  4. David Ortiz, DH
  5. Hanley Ramirez, 1B
  6. Travis Shaw, 3B
  7. Brock Holt, LF
  8. Blake Swihart, C
  9. Jackie Bradley Jr., CF

Starting Pitcher -- Clay Buchholz

Cleveland Indians (0-1)

  1. Francisco Lindor, SS
  2. Jose Ramirez, LF
  3. Jason Kipnis, 2B
  4. Mike Napoli, 1B
  5. Carlos Santana, DH
  6. Yan Gomes, C
  7. Marlon Byrd, RF
  8. Juan Uribe, 3B
  9. Tyler Naquin, CF

Starting Pitcher -- Carlos Carrasco

If they do get this game in, it might not last through the full nine with the rain coming late, and that means it could depend pretty heavily on the starting pitchers, which brings us to...

Clay Buchholz.

Everyone will tell you that one start usually doesn't mean much when it comes to predicting what's to come. Anybody can have a good game, and anyone can have a bad game. But Clay Buchholz...he tends towards the extremes. The bad games during his good stretches are rare indeed, as are the good ones when he's bad. Exceptions, of course, exist--see his start against the Yankees last season--but they are exceedingly rare.

So this game is important. And this game is scary, because if you've been following Clay Buchholz' career, you know how this work. He pitches well. Then he gets hurt. Then he's awful for a year. Then he pitches well. Then he gets hurt. Then he's awful for a year.

Rinse, lather, repeat.

David Price was the reliable opening salvo, but without Eduardo Rodriguez, the Red Sox are instantly into their pool of frighteningly uncertain rotation arms. They don't need them all to work out, but they need some of them to, and having Buchholz run into a wall in his first start would be ominous indeed. Getting off to a 1-0 start was nice, but game two might be the most important of this first series.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. EDT with broadcasts on NESN and WEEI.

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