Kansas City Royals (42-60) @ Boston Red Sox (63-38)
Bruce Chen (5-3, 3.30) @ John Lackey (8-8, 6.28)
7:10 PM EDT | Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
TV: NESN RADIO: WEEI 850, WWZN 1510
GAME NOTES
I’m going to the game tonight and I’m a little nervous. Allow me to explain. Last year, on May 27th, I saw the Red Sox play the Royals at Fenway and saw a gem. Dice-K started and went 4.2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and 8 BBs. The Red Sox only lost 4-3 but it felt so much worse than that, it was awful. Ok, you say, that’s not so bad, Dice-K is long gone banished to the 60-day DL. But, John Lackey is starting. Over the past year and half I have managed to witness more than my fair share of Lackey’s starts, seriously it seems like every time I go, he starts. Last time I witnessed a John Lackey start live, back on May 5th, the Red Sox lost 11-0 to the Angels, enough said there. I swear, I’m not a superstitious person but do I reason to worry tonight given my past history with the Royals and Lackey?
INJURY REPORT
Kansas City: NONE
Boston: Clay Buchholz, lower back strain (Placed on 15-day DL June 19, retroactive to June 17); J.D. Drew, left shoulder impingement (Placed on 15-day DL 7/26); Bobby Jenks, strained back (Placed on 15-day DL 7/16); Jed Lowrie, right shoulder injury (Placed on 15-day DL on June 17); Kevin Youkilis, tight right hamstring (day-to-day)
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Today is July 27, outfielder Walter “Hoot” Evers hit 27 doubles in his Red Sox career. Evers appeared in parts of 12 seasons in the major leagues from 1941-56, 1952-54 with the Red Sox. Evers also played for the Tigers, Orioles, Indians and Giants. Like many players of his time he missed parts of 5 seasons because of World War II. Evers’s best season was 1948 when he hit .314/.378/.454. During the Korean War, Evers had the unenviable position of replacing Ted Williams in left field for the Red Sox. After his career was over, Evers worked in the Indians and Tigers systems; Jim Leyland has credited Evers with motivating him to begin a managing career.
Line-ups should be posted in the comments when they are available, feel free to add them if they aren’t there.