Red Sox vs. Astros lineups: Jackie Bradley Jr. bats sixth, Ortiz rests

After getting the temporary bump up to the second spot in the lineup in place of Dustin Pedroia, Jackie Bradley Jr. finds himself returning to a lower, but still-improved position with the second baseman back in the lineup.

It seems like Bradley's move up will be permanent, if perhaps downgraded by one slot when David Ortiz is back. The DH gets the day off after his Saturday afternoon heroics as the Red Sox do their best to protect their seemingly ageless star. It might not feel necessary the way he's playing, but it's much better to have him miss a game or two in these early months than to regret having ran him down come September and, dare I say, October, should the Red Sox get there.

As for the matchup on the mound, well...it's kind of even, really. Sean O'Sullivan's results certainly don't match those of Chris Devenski thus far, but he held his own in his only start of the season thus far, and the fact is we're looking at two Quadruple-A type players with unimpressive minor league track records. O'Sullivan held his own in his last start before the late surge from the Athletics, and while Devenski has a 1.72 ERA with solid peripherals in 31 Major League innings this year, that's hardly enough to do anything more than give Astros fans some hope for a breakout. Up against this Boston lineup, he could be in for a rude awakening.

First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET with broadcasts on NESN, WEEI, and the MLB Network.