Red Sox at Marlins
The rivalry between Derek Jeter and Boston takes on a different look when the Red Sox visit the Miami Marlins for the opener of a two-game interleague series on Monday. Jeter, who was a part of several memorable games between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees as a player, is now the CEO and a part owner of the Marlins.
Jeter's current team doesn't exactly have the same look as some of his star-studded New York teams, and the rebuilding Miami club has yet to connect with the area fans. The Marlins did manage to split a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs by taking the finale 6-0 on Sunday but did so in front of an announced crowd of 10,428 - the smallest ever at Marlins Park, which opened in 2012. The Red Sox took three of four at Tampa Bay to begin the campaign on the back of some dominant pitching, starting with the six scoreless innings Chris Sale threw in the opener before the bullpen let him down in the lone loss. The starters matched Sale the next three games and the bullpen did its part as Boston limited the Rays to a total of three runs in the three wins.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FS Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Brian Johnson (2017: 2-0, 4.33 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Trevor Richards (NA)
Johnson earned a spot on the Opening Day roster for the first time in his career thanks in part to injuries to left-handers Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) and Drew Pomeranz (forearm). The 27-year-old Florida native made 18 starts in the minors last season and went 3-4 with a 3.10 ERA while holding batters to a batting average of .239. Boston won all five of Johnson's starts in the majors last season, including an interleague game at Philadelphia on June 14.
Richards is expected to get the call to make his Major League debut on Monday after cruising through two levels of the minors last season. The 24-year-old began at Class A-Advanced Jupiter before finishing up in Double-A with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and combined for a 12-11 record with a 2.53 ERA in 27 games - 25 starts. Richards struck out 158 in 146 total innings and allowed opponents a .218 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts went 0-for-5 on Sunday after going 8-for-12 in the first three games.
2. Marlins RHP Drew Steckenrider worked in three of the first four games and totaled 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
3. Boston went 16-4 in interleague play last season while Miami went 9-11.