Game 119: Red Sox at Pirates Lineups

A three-game series matching up two last-place squads wraps up in Pittsburgh this evening between the Red Sox (59-59, Last AL East) and the Pirates (45-72, Last NL Central). The Red Sox not only have the chance to get back over .500 for the first time since the night of the trade deadline, but also a chance at a four-game winning streak for the first time since June 26th when they won seven straight games. The Pirates, and their “hodgepodge of nothingness”, look to snap a six-game losing streak.

TV: (7:05 p.m. ET, NESN, MLB Network out of market).

Josh Winckowski (5-5, 4.69 ERA in 11 starts) will not move to the bullpen just yet, and get the ball for Boston, replacing Nathan Eovaldi who will have his start skipped due to a sore trap muscle. Just as the rotation seemed to be on track to be close to fully healthy, not only is Eovaldi scratched, but James Paxton left his Florida Complex League rehab start after facing two batters with lat tightness. On Pittsburgh’s side, JT Brubaker (2-10, 4.45 ERA in 22 starts) takes the hill. He doesn’t have a win since June 30th and, while he hasn’t been great, his 3.80 FIP indicates that a 2-10 record is not too reflective of his efforts.

Enrique Hernandez will have a scheduled day off after playing the first two games of the series. Hernandez’s inspiring double-negative earlier this week, “I’ve played in seven straight Octobers. I’m not planning on not playing in this one,” has added at least 5% to my mental playoff odds calculator. Reese McGuire starts behind the plate for the third straight night, thanks to a .400 BA and .847 OPS in his first eight games with Boston.

With a 12-game stretch upcoming against teams that are four games ahead of the Red Sox or less (@BAL, vs TOR, vs TB, @MIN), here’s to a night of sweeps, celebratory brubakers, and limited Bush League behavior.