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Lineups: Red Sox righty makes first spring start after spending time on ‘veteran program’
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- Lineups: Red Sox righty makes first spring start after spending time on ‘veteran program’
Most Red Sox starting pitchers have made one spring training start already with some, including Brayan Bello , having pitched twice. On Saturday, for the first time, newcomer Sonny Gray will join the group of pitchers to enter game action this spring.
Gray, who was acquired in a November trade with the Cardinals, will debut Saturday against the Twins in JetBlue Park. The 36-year-old hasn’t been injured or sick during camp but is instead delayed due to his preference to wait a little bit to get into games .
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“Sonny is on the veteran program,” manager Alex Cora joked last weekend. “We’ve had a few of those the last few years. Yeah, he likes pitching on the big field but he doesn’t mind throwing on the back fields. He’ll get his reps and he’ll be ready.”
Gray, who went 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 32 starts for St. Louis last season, is expected to anchor Boston ’s rotation alongside Garrett Crochet , Ranger Suárez and Bello. He’ll almost certainly pitch in the first series of the regular season against one of his former teams, the Reds.
Offensively, the Red Sox are starting a handful of regulars against the Twins, including outfielders Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela, who were momentarily banged up in an outfield collision Friday . Caleb Durbin is playing third base and Marcelo Mayer has the day off after homering in his spring debut Friday.
Garrett Whitlock and No. 5 starter candidate Connelly Early (in a multi-inning role) will follow Gray on the mound.
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First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. ET.
TWINS (2-6) vs. RED SOX (4-3) • JetBlue Park • Lee County, FL
FIRST PITCH: 1:05 p.m. ET
TV CHANNEL: NESN360, WHDH, WWAX, MeTV Portland, WYCI
RADIO: WEEI 93.7 FM
PITCHING PROBABLES: RHP Taj Bradley vs. RHP Sonny Gray
RED SOX LINEUP:
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SS Trevor Story
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DH Jarren Duran
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3B Caleb Durbin
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RF Nate Eaton
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2B Nick Sogard
RED SOX PITCHERS:RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Garrett Whitlock, LHP Connelly Early, LHP T.J. Sikkema, RHP Vinny Nittoli , RHP Noah Song , RHP Jacob Webb .
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