Red Sox vs. Mariners lineup: Dustin Pedroia returns to six-shooting Sox

The piping-hot Red Sox (26-21) look to win their sixth straight game overall against the sinking Mariners (21-28) this afternoon at Fenway Park (4:05 p.m., NESN).

This one could be high-scoring. Dustin Pedroia returns after sitting out last night’s game with a knee-injury scare, which is good for Boston’s offense, and the pitchers on both sides haven’t fared well in extremely limited Major League experience.

Brian Johnson (7.20 ERA) will make his second 2017 appearance, two years after making a single, ineffective summer start for the Sox. It’s been a long, hard road back for the “soft-tossing lefty, albeit one with four pitches,” per BP Boston, and hopefully the 26-year-old Johnson will fare better than he did the previous two times he toed the rubber.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old righty Rob Whalen will make his Mariners debut one season after logging a 6.57 ERA in 24.2 innings for the Braves, from whom he was traded last year. Per the tubes, he has no overpowering pitches, but he apparently has a “gyro-spinning fastball,” which is something. The scariest part about him, by far, is that he was drafted by the Mets, so the chances of him becoming a superstar just to spite them is high, because Mets.

Enough about that. A six-pack of wins would be appropriate for our long weekend. Grab a cold one and get ready for some runs — here are the full lineups: