After an off day on Monday, the Boston Red Sox will return to Fenway Park to begin the next-to-last series of the regular season before the playoffs next week. Boston clinched their spot in the postseason after the Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox are all but locked into the second American League wild-card spot. They are on a collision course with the New York Yankees next week in the Bronx for a best-of-three series. Before then, however, Boston has three games with the Cleveland Guardians. They will then host the Chicago Cubs this weekend, weather permitting.
As for the Guardians series, Wilyer Abreu is back in the lineup for manager Chad Tracy and batting in a familiar spot.
Boston Red Sox Announce Wilyer Abreu Spot in Lineup Against Guardians on Tuesday Night
Tracy will send left-hander Payton Tolle to the mound to open the series and as far as his lineup goes, Abreu us back and batting cleanup. Here is Boston’s lineup for the series opener against Cleveland’s Parker Messick,
Roman Anthony LF
Nick Sogard 1B
Jahmai Jones DH
Wilyer Abreu RF
Adley Rutschman C
Caleb Durbin 3B
Andruw Monasterio 2B
Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS
Nate Eaton CF
Abreu will be batting fourth, with first baseman Willson Contreras still out of the lineup after getting hit by a pitch last Thursday night against the Texas Rangers. He missed the series against the Tampa Bay Rays. As for Abreu, he did not play in Sunday’s series finale, a 5-1 loss.
Boston Red Sox Playing Out the String Ahead of Playoffs
Tuesday, it was announced that Tracy was having the interim tag removed, and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is having his option in 2029 and 2030 picked up by the club. It’s not surprising that it was announced before the playoffs.
Boston is scheduled to send their three projected starters on the mound next week against the Yankees: Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suárez against the Guardians. However, Cleveland is in a heated race with the Chicago White Sox for the American League Central Division title. They enter the series with a one-game lead over the White Sox, who are playing the Kansas City Royals this week.
Boston has slumped in September. However, they can use the six games before next week as a tune-up. As for this weekend, the weather is projected to be a mess. Tim Healy of the Boston Globe reported that MLB has no plans to move the series out of Boston. There are going to be very few windows to play baseball this weekend.
The Cubs are in a battle for home-field advantage in the National League wild-card round. Those games will have big meaning for them and the NL. They enter play this week tied with the San Diego Padres for home-field advantage next week. The Philadelphia Phillies are a game behind. There is a lot riding on this weekend.
Boston Red Sox Announce Wilyer Abreu Decision Before Cleveland Guardians Series