Red Sox at Rays Lineups: The first game of the rest of the year

You know how when you get a new job or meet a new potential long-term partner or have some other type of life-changing event, friends will tell you tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life? Generally speaking, that is a positive saying and the rest of your life is looking up. In a way, Monday is the first day of the rest of the season for the Red Sox. The difference between this and the way I discussed the phrasing above is that this is not necessarily a positive advancement for the Red Sox. We’ve been talking all year about how the Red Sox are really running out of time if they want to turn things around, but that is truly the case now. We are a week away from the trade deadline and heading into an absurd 14-game stretch exclusively including games against the Rays and Yankees. The players need to play up to their capabilities to stay and hopefully improve their standing in the playoff race. Furthermore, and more to the point, the front office needs to use the next seven days to decide where this team stands as they look towards the final two-plus months of the season.

Monday would be a good time to start a winning streak, then, if the players want to keep this roster around, supplement it and make a push for a postseason berth. They’ll have Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound as they start that quest in the first game of their three-game set in Tampa Bay. Rodriguez has been the best pitcher since the start of the second half, and he’s really been pitching well since the team went to London. They’ll need to that to continue here, of course.

Meanwhile, the Rays will send out old friend Jalen Beeks for his first true start since getting to Tampa from the Red Sox last summer. To go against the lefty, the team will be without Michael Chavis again. They’ll have Sam Travis at first base with Marco Hernandez at second. The full lineups are below.