Ceddanne Rafaela has been scorching hot at the plate this month, but the 23-year-old rookie will take a seat Wednesday night as the Boston Red Sox look to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Rafaela, who delivered a go-ahead single in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s 4-3 win, is batting .615 (16-for-26) with a home run and four RBIs over the course of a seven-game hitting streak.
He has multiple hits in six of those seven contests and is the first player in Red Sox history to reach base at least three times in four consecutive games, all while batting No. 9 in the lineup.
David Hamilton draws the start at shortstop, with Enmanuel Valdez holding down second base. Romy González starts in center field and bats ninth.
Connor Wong is out of the starting lineup for the second day in a row, as Reese McGuire will rock the catcher’s gear with Brayan Bello on the bump.
The Red Sox have won seven of their last nine games after taking the first two in Toronto. Boston is looking to match its season high with a fifth consecutive victory.
First pitch for Wednesday’s game at Rogers Centre is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET, and you can watch all the action on NESN, beginning with an hour of pregame coverage.
The full lineups are below.
RED SOX (39-35)
Jarren Duran, LF
David Hamilton, SS
Tyler O’Neill, RF
Rafael Devers, 3B
Masataka Yoshida, DH
Enmanuel Valdez, 2B
Reese McGuire, C
Dominic Smith, 1B
Romy González, CF
Brayan Bello, RHP (6-4, 5.00 ERA)
BLUE JAYS (35-38)
Spencer Horwitz, 2B
Justin Turner, DH
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
Daulton Varsho, LF
Danny Jansen, C
George Springer, RF
Addison Barger, 3B
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
Kevin Kiermaier, CF
Kevin Gausman, RHP (5-5, 4.08 ERA)
