Red Sox at Rays Lineups: Mookie Betts is back

Last weekend the Red Sox went out to Philadelphia for a quick, two-game series and took care of business in both for a mini-sweep. It was cool to see them win baseball games, and even moreso it was cool to see them play spoilers. The Phillies had an uphill battle to the postseason as it was, but they took a major step back in their quest losing two to Boston. For a team like the Red Sox, things like this along with some individual goals to achieve are really all they have.

This weekend, they have an even better chance to play spoiler. This time, they are going up against a team in the Rays who are currently tied for the second wildcard with Cleveland with a little more than a week to go. With four games down in Tampa Bay, the Red Sox have a chance to be the main reason they miss the postseason. Obviously, that will be easier said than done, but to do that against a rival is about the best you can hope for being a team that is long out of the postseason chase.

For this game in particular, Boston is already starting on the wrong side of the matchup. They’ll have Rick Porcello on the mound, who was solid his last time out but has been bad pretty much all year. He’s going up against a strong and motivated lineup tonight, which could cost trouble. Meanwhile, the lineup is going up against Charlie Morton, who may be having the best season in the AL no one seems to be talking about. The good news for Boston is that Mookie Betts is back at the top of the lineup. He’s still not ready to play the field, but we haven’t seen his last game in a Boston uniform after all.

The full lineups are below