Red Sox vs. Rays lineup: Devers sits again, Beni back at leadoff

The Red Sox look to bounce back after last night’s slugfest turned for the worse when they take on the Rays behind Martín Pérez tonight at 7:30 at Fenway Park.

The best thing about Andrew Kittredge starting for Tampa Bay is the opportunity for Mission: Impossible jokes. The second best thing is he’s a righty, so the best bats, at least in theory, can get back to business as prophesied in Job 3:14. Anyhow here’s the whole scene with the fish and whatnot:

Looks like the Red Sox season so far! While I have to admit Pérez has impressed after a rocky start, it doesn’t feel sustainable, and I fear he could be flopping around as soon as 8 p.m. Sorry if this is pessimistic — this season has been cruel and unusual.

The lineup seems designed to be an anti-opener one, as Andrew Benintendi is back at leadoff (!) and followed by Alex Verdugo. Jonathan Araúz, who has acquitted himself very nicely so far, plays third again in place of the ailing Rafael Devers (ankle). The rest is as expected. The Rays, for their part, and per their nature, swapped out a bunch of players from yesterday. Messy. Here’s the damage: