ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Boston Red Sox, who have won all five series openers they have played this season and have yet to lose a series, aim to make it two in a row Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.
These are teams trending in opposite directions. The Sox, 1-0 winners Monday night, are 4-0 in one-run games, and 7-0 when scoring first.
The Rays? They've lost four in a row, are just 1-6 at the Trop, and have been shut out twice in their past three games. They placed their 11th player on the disabled list Wednesday when Ryan Brett, the rookie second baseman who made his first big-league start and was charged with the throwing error that decided the game, went on the DL with a partially dislocated left shoulder.
That's a club record, the kind no team wants to set. They've used 10 rookies this season, and currently have 8 on the roster.
They can't even win a challenge. Rookie manager Kevin Cash has challenged eight calls, including a force play at second on Tuesday night, and has lost all eight of them.
Joe Kelly pitches Wednesday night against right-hander Nathan Karns, a place-holder in the Rays rotation until guys such as Alex Cobb and Matt Moore return from the the ranks of the lame, halt and infirm.
Here are the lineups:
Mookie Betts, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Hanley Ramirez, LF
Mike Napoli, 1B
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Shane Victorino, RF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Ryan Hanigan, C
Joe Kelly, RHP
RAYS
David DeJesus, DH
Steven Souza Jr., RF
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Evan Longoria, 3B
Desmond Jennings, LF
Allan Dykstra, 1B
Logan Forsythe, 2B
Kevin Kiermaier, CF
Rene Rivera, C
Nathan Karns, RHP
