Red Sox vs. Phillies lineups: Pablo Sandoval sits again

It seemed as if Pablo Sandoval, who has been on the pine for the last two games, would be back in the lineup on Monday. According to John Farrell, part of the reason the third baseman had been out the last couple of games was because they wanted a strong defensive presence at the hot corner with left-handed pitchers on the mound. Of course, the Red Sox rotation boasts four southpaws, so if that was the primary concern it would essentially turn Sandoval into the personal third baseman for Rick Porcello.

Well, Porcello takes the mound for Boston tonight and Sandoval remains out of the lineup. In other words, it wasn’t just about not playing in front of a left-handed pitcher. There’s a part of me that isn’t crazy about this, because it would be such a huge boost for the entire organization if Sandoval could get back to even slightly below-average production. There’s a bigger part, though, that understands that the possibility of that happening is small, and they have to try to win games with or without him, and the latter gives them a better chance for victory. I’m not sure what the plan is moving forward, but right now it’s clear they have no trust in the third baseman, and I can’t really say I blame them.

Other than that, the lineup remains how you’d expect it. Hanley Ramirez is still down in the sixth spot, and Mitch Moreland remains in the cleanup spot. On the other side, we get to see a lot of Daniel Nava tonight, with the former Red Sox outfielder manning left field for the Phillies and hitting second. Here are the full lineups.