The Boston Red Sox are looking to recover from a tough loss to the Houston Astros when they meet again Tuesday night, but they will do so without catcher Connor Wong in the lineup. Wong has been replaced by Danny Jansen, who will catch for the third time in four days. This marks the second time in 11 games that Wong has been out of the starting lineup, as he was the designated hitter on both Saturday and Monday.
The break comes at an opportune moment for Wong, who has already caught 77 games this season and has recently struggled offensively. Heading into Monday’s game, Wong was batting .258 with just five extra-base hits and a .641 OPS in 63 plate appearances during August. He has struck out 21 times while recording just one walk. In his last 38 games since July 2, Wong has posted a .232 average and a .649 OPS.
After a strong start to the season, where he hit .327 with an .856 OPS through June, Wong’s performance has tapered off. Nevertheless, the Red Sox are satisfied with his overall contributions this season, where he has batted .289 with 11 home runs, 14 doubles, and a .775 OPS.
Manager Alex Cora acknowledged Wong’s solid performance, stating, “You look at the numbers and he has been solid. It’s a good player who has been playing a lot of games. The guy has been good. He’s been good for us.”
Jansen, acquired in a trade with Toronto, has performed well since joining the team, hitting .281 with two home runs and an .830 OPS across 12 games.
As the Red Sox face right-hander Ronel Blanco, David Hamilton will start at second base and bat eighth. Wilyer Abreu returns to the lineup after a day off, hitting second.
Currently, the Red Sox stand at 12-17 since the All-Star break, trailing Kansas City by 4½ games for the third American League wild card spot. They aim to cut that deficit and will send right-hander Nick Pivetta to the mound on Tuesday.
The game is set to begin at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Red Sox are yet to win a game against the Astros this season, having lost all four matchups thus far.
Game Details:
Boston Red Sox (65-59) vs. Houston Astros (68-56)
Location: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
First Pitch: 8:10 p.m. ET
TV Channel: NESN
Radio: WEEI 93.7 FM
Pitching Matchup: RHP Nick Pivetta (5-8, 4.49 ERA) vs. RHP Ronel Blanco (9-6, 2.89 ERA)
Red Sox Lineup:
1. CF Jarren Duran
2. RF Wilyer Abreu
3. 1B Triston Casas
4. 3B Rafael Devers
5. LF Tyler O’Neill
6. DH Masataka Yoshida
7. C Danny Jansen
8. 2B David Hamilton
9. SS Ceddanne Rafaela
Astros Lineup:
1. 2B Jose Altuve
2. DH Yordan Alvarez
3. C Yainer Diaz
4. SS Jeremy Peña
5. 1B Jon Singleton
6. LF Mauricio Dubón
7. CF Jake Meyers
8. 3B Shay Whitcomb
9. RF Chas McCormick