After falling last night, the Boston Red Sox will finish up their homestand with hopes of keeping their lead in the AL East. Tonight, they’ll host the AL West-leading Texas Rangers in the first game of a three-game set at Historic Fenway Park.
Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Rangers broadcast area, you can catch the game on the TXA 21. If you don’t live in either market, you may be in luck as the MLB Network is scheduled to have coverage of the game outside of the Red Sox and Yankees markets. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.
Andrew Miller has pitched well since coming back out of the bullpen and will make his 11th start of the season. In his previous 12 games (10 starts), Miller is 6-1 with a 4.42 ERA. He’s made one start against the Rangers this season and picked up the win after throwing 6.1 scoreless innings back on August 25th. He’s made two career appearances (one start) against the Rangers in his career and is 1-0 with 0.00 ERA (0 ER/7.1 IP). He’s never faced them at Fenway Park.
Derek Holland makes his 28th start of 2011 for the Rangers. In his previous 27 starts, Holland is 12-5 with a 4.30 ERA. He has not faced the Red Sox since 2009 when he made his only two career starts against them. In those two starts, he was 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA (6 ER/11.1 IP). One of those starts came at the Fens where he took the loss after allowing four runs in 4.2 IP.
Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day if you’re on the home page.
Here are this evening’s lineups:
 78-60 |
 83-53 |
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| 1. Ian Kinsler | 2B | 1. Jacoby Ellsbury | CF |
| 2. Elvis Andrus | SS | 2. Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
| 3. Josh Hamilton | LF | 3. Adrian Gonzalez | 1B |
| 4. Michael Young | 1B | 4. Kevin Youkilis | 3B |
| 5. Adrian Beltre | 3B | 5. David Ortiz | DH |
| 6. Mike Napoli | C | 6. Jed Lowrie | SS |
| 7. Yorvit Torrealba | DH | 7. Conor Jackson | LF |
| 8. David Murphy | RF | 8. Jason Varitek | C |
| 9. Craig Gentry | CF | 9. Darnell McDonald | RF |
| Derek Holland | SP | Andrew Miller | SP |
And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:
As you can tell from the lineup above, Youk has been activated from the 15-day DL.
Carl Crawford was in the original lineup and was replaced by Jackson.
Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
Kevin Youkilis returns to the Red Sox lineup and more pregame notes [Clubhouse Insider]
100 Sox wins not too lofty a goal for Beckett [CSN New England]
Red Sox early notes: Youk returns to lineup [CSN New England]
Video: BBTN previews Sox-Rangers [ESPN Boston]
Williams honored on postage stamp [Extra Bases]
Kevin Youkilis: ‘I’m ready to play’ [Extra Bases]
Red Sox prospect Matt Marquis’ inspirational journey to pro ball [Full Count]
Kevin Millar on M&M: ‘Quieter than I’ve ever heard it’ at Fenway [Full Count]
September questions: How will the Red Sox use Andrew Miller? [Full Count]
When Will Fenway Park’s Sellout Streak End? [NESN.com]
NESN Debates: Is it Important for Red Sox to Win AL East Title? [NESN.com]
A Series Matter: Red Sox-Rangers and Sitting Ducks [Projo Sox Blog]
Ryan Lavarnway still waiting to experience Fenway Park [Projo Sox Blog]
Surgery behind him, Drew Sutton back on the field [Projo Sox Blog]
Gathright surprised, thrilled to hear from Red Sox [Projo Sox Blog]
Youkilis returns from DL [Projo Sox Blog]
McDonald gets nod over Jackson — for one night [Projo Sox Blog]
Sellout streak hits 700 [Projo Sox Blog]
Miller on a roll as Rangers come to town [RedSox.com]
Sox’s sellout streak at Fenway reaches 700 [RedSox.com]
Feeling healthy, Youk activated off disabled list [RedSox.com]
Players of the Month, August 2011: Daniel Nava & Matt Fox [SoxProspects.com]
Hazelbaker finishing strong with Sea Dogs [SoxProspects.com]
Jon Lester Cancer-Free for Years, Allowing Everyone to Focus on Lefty’s Dominance, Not His Health [Tom Caron – NESN.com]
Against Red Sox, Yankees have their answer [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]
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Photo credits: Getty Images, Reuters Pictures
