Boston is aiming for two straight wins at Wrigley Field
by Jason Ounpraseuth 21 hours ago
The Red Sox are seeking back-to-back wins at Wrigley Field on Saturday and will have James Paxton on the field against the Chicago Cubs.
Boston won the first game of the three-game series thanks to Rafael Devers’ two home run games after the All-Star break.
Paxton’s last start was against the Oakland Athletics last week, where he went through six innings and improved to 5-1 this season. The Red Sox are shorthanded in their starting rotation, but Paxton has been consistent for Boston, earning him American League Pitcher of the Month in June.
Boston tested Justin Turner at second base on Friday, but the veteran switches back to designated hitter on Saturday as Adam Duvall is out in the middle matchup of the series. Jarren Duran moves to midfield and Masataka Yoshida, who celebrates his 30th birthday on Saturday, moves to left field.
Christian Arroyo will start on second base and Yu Chang will sit alongside Kiké Hernández, who will be the shortstop.
The Red Sox Cubs’ first pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET, and after an hour of pregame you can catch all the action on NESN.
Here are the lineups for both sides.
BOSTON RED SOX (49-43)
Jarren Duran, CF
Masataka Yoshida, LF
Justin Turner, DH
Rafael Devers, 3B
Alex Verdugo, RF
Triston Casas, 1B
Christian Arroyo, 2B
Connor Wong, C
Kiké Hernández, SS
James Paxton, LHP (5-1, 2.73 ERA)
CHICAGO CUBS (42-48)
Nico Hoerner, SS
Seiya Suzuki, RF
Ian Happ, L.F
Cody Bellinger, CF
Yan Gomes, C
Trey Mancini, 1B
Christopher Morel, 2B
Miguel Amaya, DH
Patrick Wisdom, 3B
Marcus Stroman, RHP (9-6, 2.96 ERA)
Thumbnail photo via John Jones/USA TODAY Sports Images