Red Sox at White Sox lineup: Is this the biggest game of the year?

The Red Sox (27-22) visit the South Side to play the Chicago White Sox (23-26) this afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field in what could be, in the big picture, their biggest game of the year so far (2:10 p.m., NESN).

Big-ticket lefty David Price (a better-than-you-think 3.99 ERA in 2016) makes his first start of the season after being injured in Spring Training, and his performance — not just today, but during the rest of the year — could be the difference between a championship-contending Sox team and one that comes up just short. Price fared poorly in his two rehab starts and will be kept on a short leash today, but he’ll try to turn it around against a slapstick White Sox team that has, in its general flailing style, become the butt of some good, loving baseball jokes.

Speaking of which, righty David Holmberg (0.89 ERA over 10.1 innings; 5.25 career ERA) will make his first career start for the Pale Hose after spending 2016 in the minors. He was drafted by the White Sox in 2009, traded away the following season, and re-signed with the organization last year. Per Brooks Baseball, he has a below-average fastball, and the rest of his pitches result in few swings and misses and a lot of fly balls, which is good for a Boston team that got sinker-balled to death yesterday. He’s someone against whom the Red Sox should be able to drive the ball.

Big start for him; bigger one for us. Andrew Benintendi and Mitch Moreland will sit for this one, at least to start; Chris Young and Sam Travis take their places. Here are the full lineups: