Boston’s playoff hopes are all but dead, but if the Red Sox want any shot at sneaking into the postseason, they’ll have to sweep this weekend’s series against the Minnesota Twins.
That means taking care of business Friday night, when the Red Sox will hand the ball to a recently promoted rookie.
Richard Fitts will make his third MLB start since being called up earlier this month. The 24-year-old has so far thrown 10.2 innings without allowing an earned run to start his big league career, and he’ll look to keep that momentum going in Friday’s series opener.
He will face off against Minnesota’s David Festa, who comes in with a 2-6 record and 5.07 ERA.
Entering Friday Boston trails both Minnesota and Detroit by four games in the American League Wild Card standings, and the club is also two games behind Seattle. The Red Sox have nine games left to play.
Red Sox lineup
Jarren Duran LF
Rafael Devers 3B
Tyler O’Neill DH
Triston Casas 1B
Wilyer Abreu RF
Connor Wong C
Trevor Story SS
Enmanuel Valdez 2B
Ceddanne Rafaela CF
Richard Fitts P
How to watch
When: 7:10 p.m.
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
Broadcast info: NESN, WEEI 93.7 FM, WCCM 1490 AM (Spanish)
