Red Sox at Braves lineup: Nick Pivetta, and the rest is silence

The Red Sox finish their 2020 season when they square off with the playoff-bound Braves this afternoon at 3:10 p.m. in Cobb County, Georgia.

Following a promising first Red Sox start, Nick Pivetta takes the hill against Atlanta righty Bryse Wilson, looking for a repeat to close things out. It would be especially nice after Tanner Houck’s bravura performance yesterday and another potential bright spot for next year and beyond. I’m pretty sure we all like that.

It’s also invariably the last day for some players in a Red Sox uniform, most likely Jackie Bradley Jr., the best defensive center fielder most of us have ever seen in a Boston uniform, and an all-around good guy. To mark the occasion, he’s batting leadoff while Alex Verdugo gets the day off. It’s a nice gesture.

It will probably not be the last game for JD Martinez, who has declared he’s likely to stay in Boston rather than opt out of his contract. Even with his struggles this year, this is a good thing. Talent is talent. It’s still in there somewhere. And so, maybe, is the Sox’s fighting spirit, ready to emerge in the spring. Until then...