The Boston Red Sox released their starting lineup before their second game in a best-of-seven series against the reigning champion Houston Astros.
It seems that manager Alex Cora is deciding to shake things up a bit, most notably starting the young Rafael Devers instead of Eduardo Núñez at third base.
This is a move many saw coming after Núñez's performance in Game 1. He let a grounder under his glove that resulted in two runs scored for the Astros, and later bobbled an easy grounder that led to a go-ahead Carlos Correra single in the seventh, getting credited with an error. He also went 0-2 with a walk at the plate.
Cora started Núñez on the grounds that the veteran was a steady hand at third, as Devers has shown some inconsistency in the field over the course of the season. Last night, at least, showed that Núñez may not be up to task.
Devers will provide some power at the plate for a Red Sox team that didn't have much of it in the opening game of the ALCS. He may make some mistakes in the field, but it will be hard to make many that were as costly as Núñez's last night. It's an important game for Boston; another loss, and they head to the defending champion's home turf, down 2-0. It's time to see if Devers is up to the challenge.
First pitch is at 7:09 at Fenway with David Price on the mound.
