Red Sox at Rays lineups: Ward up, and Jeter Downs is here

Happy Friday! I mean, it’s perhaps not so joyous with the news Eduardo Rodriguez has been scratched from his Opening Day start, but you can still enjoy Red Sox baseball this afternoon when the Sox and Rays face off at 1:05 p.m. It will be broadcast on the Rays feed for those with MLB.TV.

Thad Ward will get the start for Boston as the team gets the pieces in place for next Thursday’s opener, which will now see Nathan Eovaldi on the mound with E-Rod on the mend with a “dead arm.” Nick Pivetta is pitching in a “B” game to avoid facing the Rays for a third straight time. On top of that, Christian Vázquez had a bit of a scare yesterday and is also away from the team today.

Didn’t expect to get to midseason form before April, but these things choose us.

Anyhow, likely due to the time it took to be sad over Rodriguez and Vázquez the lineups came out more than an hour later than normal, which we love, don’t we folks? (We do not love it.) So instead of anecdotes about said lineups here are said lineups, sans anecdotes save for a) woof, b) Jeter Downs, baby!:

Red Sox lineup

1. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B

2. Jarren Duran (L) CF

3. J.D. Martinez (R) RF

4. Franchy Cordero (L) LF

5. Michael Chavis (R) 1B

6. Chris Herrmann (L) C

7. Jeter Downs (R) SS

8. Chad De La Guerra (L) 3B

9. César Puello (R) DH

SP: Thad Ward, RHP

Rays lineup

1. Yoshi Tsutsugo (L) 1B

2. Manuel Margot (R) CF

3. Austin Meadows (L) RF

4. Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

5. Yandy Díaz (R) 3B

6. Francisco Mejia (S) C

7. Willy Adames (R) SS

8. Mike Zunino (R) DH

9. Mike Brosseau (R) LF

SP: David Hess, RHP