The Red Sox are shaking up the lineup Thursday night, and the biggest move is Jarren Duran sliding back into center field for the finale against the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
Boston didn’t start Duran in Wednesday’s 7-3 loss, but he’s back in the mix as the club tries to avoid leaving Texas on a three-game skid. The Red Sox have already dropped the first two games of the series and come in at 82-70 with 10 games left in the regular season.
Roman Anthony stays in the leadoff spot and starts in left field, while Jahmai Jones gets another crack at designated hitter. Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras and Adley Rutschman fill out the middle of the order.
Christopher Smith of MassLive reported the lineup shortly after it was released Thursday.
The full Red Sox order:
Roman Anthony, LF
Jahmai Jones, DH
Wilyer Abreu, RF
Willson Contreras, 1B
Adley Rutschman, C
Trevor Story, SS
Jarren Duran, CF
Caleb Durbin, 3B
Nick Sogard, 2B
Sonny Gray gets the start on the mound.
That’s a strong arm to have in a spot like this. Gray enters with a 17-5 record and a 2.76 ERA, giving Boston a veteran right-hander it can lean on as it tries to steady itself after consecutive losses.
Texas will go with left-hander Tyler Alexander, who is 5-2 with a 3.38 ERA. The matchup against a lefty helps explain a few of Boston’s lineup choices. Jones stays in the No. 2 spot, Contreras bats fourth and Rutschman follows him in the five-hole.
Duran’s return is the most noticeable change from Wednesday, when Boston started Nate Eaton in center and Isiah Kiner-Falefa at second base. Neither is in Thursday’s lineup. Instead, Duran returns to center, Nick Sogard takes over at second, and Trevor Story moves up a spot to hit sixth.
Boston could use a jolt. The Red Sox entered this series with a chance to strengthen their postseason position, but instead they’ve watched Texas win four straight and pull itself back into the race. The Rangers improved to 76-76 with Wednesday’s win and sit one game behind the Chicago White Sox for the final American League wild-card spot.
The Red Sox are still in better shape, holding the second AL wild card with a five-game cushion over Chicago entering Thursday. But that lead isn’t big enough to make these games feel harmless.
Boston has gone 5-5 over its last 10, and Thursday is the last chance to leave Texas with something positive before the schedule rolls into its final nine games.
For the Red Sox, the question now is simple: can they turn the chances in front of them into enough runs? With Duran back in center and Gray on the mound, they’ll try to make this one look a lot different from the first two nights in Texas.
First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. ET.
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