Locked in a pennant race with less than a month remaining in the season, getting swept at home by the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates would be a huge setback for the Red Sox.
The club will hand the ball to Lucas Giolito to help ensure that doesn’t happen.
Giolito (9-2, 3.47) will take the mound for Sunday’s series finale, matching up against Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (6-12, 4.35). Giolito is coming off a fabulous performance in Baltimore this past Tuesday in which he threw eight scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in a 5-0 win over the Orioles.
The Red Sox will stick with a familiar lineup against Keller, going with Roman Anthony in the leadoff spot, Alex Bregman batting second, Jarren Duran third and Trevor Story fourth. Nathaniel Lowe is starting at first base and batting fifth, Masataka Yoshida is sixth as the DH, Romy Gonzalez is playing second and batting seventh, Cefdanne Rafaela is in center field batting eighth and Carlos Narvaez will catch batting ninth.
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Cam Devanney, a former Central Catholic star from Amherst, N.H., will make his MLB debut at Fenway Park. He’s batting ninth and starting at third base for the Pirates.
Red Sox lineup
Roman Anthony RF
Alex Bregman 3B
Jarren Duran LF
Trevor Story SS
Nathaniel Lowe 1B
Masataka Yoshida DH
Romy Gonzalez 2B
Ceddanne Rafaela CF
Carlos Narvaez C
How to watch
When: 1:35 p.m.
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
Broadcast info: NESN, MLB Network (out-of-market only), WEEI 93.7 FM, WCCM 1490 AM (Spanish), WESX 1230 AM (Spanish)
