After consecutive one-run losses to the Colorado Rockies, the Boston Red Sox come into Wednesday night’s game in desperate need of a win. But they’ll have to get it with their two best hitters on the bench: Both Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida are absent from Alex Cora’s lineup.
Red Sox tonight:
Refsnyder LF, Turner 3B, Verdugo RF, Duvall DH, Arroyo 2B, K. Hernández CF, Casas 1B, Wong C, Reyes SS— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) June 14, 2023
Yes, Colorado will be starting lefty Austin Gomber, but neither Devers (.827 OPS against left-handed pitchers) nor Yoshida (.742) have extreme platoon splits — and Gomber has allowed a .377/.443/.717 line to left-handed hitters this year anyway. Devers homered twice on Tuesday night, while Yoshida got a day off on Monday. And again, Boston really needs this game, both to avoid the stain of a home sweep at the hands of a last-place team and also to try and keep pace with the rest of the AL Wild Card contenders (not to mention the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays).
No reason has been given for either absence, so for now we have to assume that this is just a rest day for both players. Justin Turner will take over third base with Devers out, while lefty-masher Rob Refsnyder gets a start in left and will bat leadoff. If Boston drops three in a row while their offense struggles to score, we’d really hate to be Cora after the game.
