The Red Sox are trying to jolt a sputtering offense, and Alex Cora is doing it with a new look Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
Masataka Yoshida gets the leadoff job for the middle game at PNC Park, while Ceddanne Rafaela is back in center field and slides into the No. 2 spot. Adley Rutschman stays behind the plate and bats third as Boston tweaks the top of the order before the 7:15 p.m. ET first pitch.
The full lineup Boston announced against Pirates right-hander Jared Jones is:
Masataka Yoshida, DH
Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
Adley Rutschman, C
Willson Contreras, 1B
Wilyer Abreu, RF
Caleb Durbin, 3B
Jarren Duran, LF
Andruw Monasterio, SS
Nick Sogard, 2B
Yoshida’s move stands out most. He hit second in Friday’s 8-4 loss, but now gets the first crack at sparking an attack that has gone quiet during Boston’s recent slide.
Sogard drops from first to ninth after collecting two hits and two RBIs in the series opener. Rafaela, who was out of the starting lineup Friday, replaces Eli White in center field and jumps right into the No. 2 hole.
Rutschman is in for a second straight start after recently returning to the lineup. He went hitless Friday, but Cora still has a switch-hitting bat near the top of the order that he can lean on.
The shakeup comes with the Red Sox having lost six of their last seven. Boston is now 65-57 after Pittsburgh opened the series with an 8-4 win, a sharp downturn after the Red Sox had surged into the postseason picture.
Sonny Gray gets the ball Saturday, and Boston will need him to steady things. The veteran right-hander enters at 14-3 with a 2.79 ERA and 110 strikeouts, giving the Red Sox a strong matchup against Jones, who is 2-4 with a 5.03 ERA.
Pittsburgh’s lineup is led by Spencer Horwitz, Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds. Rafael Flores Jr., who homered and drove in two runs Friday, will catch and hit eighth.
Boston needs Gray to quiet the Pirates, but the new batting order has to do its part too. After dropping the opener and six of seven overall, the Red Sox have a chance Saturday to stop the skid before Sunday’s finale against Paul Skenes.
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