Red Sox vs. Dodgers Lineups: Back in action

The Red Sox are back in action after the four-day break for the All-Star festivities, and they have a hell of a test to start things off. The second half begins against the best team in baseball in what is also, of course, a rematch of last year’s World Series. The Dodgers have been incredible this season with elite starting pitching and a deep lineup that includes the NL MVP in Cody Bellinger. It’s going to be a tough one for Eduardo Rodriguez, who did look good in his final start of the first half before his outing was shortened by rain. That was against the Tigers, though, and this Dodgers lineup is an entirely different beast. The one bit of good news, if you are looking for some optimism, is that L.A. has been much better at home than they have been on the road. Of course, the Red Sox have been much better on the road than at Fenway.

On the other side, the Red Sox offense was rolling before the break and they’ll be looking to pick up where they left off. The key for their recent hot streak was Mookie Betts getting hot at the top of the lineup and Rafael Devers shifting to the two spot right behind them. They’ll need those guys to stay hot and continue to set the table for Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez. They’ll be going up against Kenta Maeda, who isn’t really a superstar but is consistently underrated. Boston will roll out a typical lineup with Christian Vázquez behind the plate and Brock Hot at second base. The full lineups are below.