Red Sox at Indians
Everything went according to script for the Boston Red Sox on the first day of the regular season and now they just need to figure out how to stretch it over the next 161 games. The Red Sox will try to improve to 2-0 when they visit the Cleveland Indians for the second of a three-game series on Wednesday.
Boston got six strong innings from free agent extravagance David Price and hitless relief from the reworked bullpen trio of Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrel in the 6-2 win on Tuesday. David Ortiz began his farewell campaign with a homer and a double while budding star Mookie Betts homered and Travis Shaw, who beat out Pablo Sandoval for the starting third base job in spring training, singled twice and scored. Cleveland’s path back to the playoffs rests on the shoulders of the starting rotation and the bat of shortstop Francisco Lindor, and only Lindor held up his end on Tuesday. The 22-year-old had a pair of hits in the opener but staff ace Corey Kluber could not make it through six innings, leaving Wednesday starter Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar to pick up the rotation over the rest of the series.
TV: 6:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (2015: 7-7, 3.26 ERA) vs. Indians RH Carlos Carrasco (2015: 14-12, 3.63)
Buchholz tried to carry the weight of the entire staff last season and struggled under the pressure before his season was cut short in July due to a flexor strain in his right elbow. The 31-year-old Texas native has never made 30 starts in a season and failed to make more than 18 in three of the last five campaigns. Buchholz missed both series against Cleveland while sitting out last season and is 2-1 with a 4.13 ERA in five career starts against the Indians.
Carrasco went through his first full major league season as a starter last year and came through strong while recording 216 strikeouts in 183 2/3 total innings. The Venezuela native turned 29 last month and is expected to take another step forward after finishing behind only Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale and Max Scherzer in strikeout rate last season. Carrasco did not see Boston last season and is 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA in four career games – two starts – against the Red Sox.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) is expected to throw live batting practice on Wednesday and a simulated game over the weekend.
2. Cleveland 1B and former Red Sox Mike Napoli went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a walk on Tuesday.
3. Boston UTL Brock Holt got the start in LF on opening day and is expected to spend most of his time there as part of a platoon with OF Rusney Castillo.