After a scheduled night off, both Pittsburgh and Boston are back in action on Wednesday night at Fenway Park. The Red Sox scored all five of their runs in the bottom of the fifth in the season opener. The Pirates tried responding by narrowing the gap to 5-3 after the seventh inning, but that's as close as they got. Starting pitcher Rick Porcello picked up the win after throwing 6.1 innings and finishing with three earned runs on six hits. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM Eastern time and the contest can be seen on MLB.tv, Root Sports Pittsburgh, and NESN.
Pirates (0-1, 3rd NL Central)
Catcher Chris Stewart is questionable for the game with a groin injury. He didn't play in the season opener and isn't listed in the batting lineup for tonight's matchup. Third baseman David Freese was the only player to connect on multiple hits Monday night. The team tallied up eight hits and eight strikeouts along with leaving three runners in scoring position with two outs.
Starting right-hander Jameson Taillon will make the start for the Pirates. He made his MLB debut last season and went 5-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 18 starts. He won two of his last three starts and never gave up more than three earned runs.
Red Sox (1-0, 2nd AL East)
Boston is dealing with a slew of injuries.
Outfielders Mookie Betts and Brock Holt will both be out of the contest as they're dealing with the flu. Betts went 1-3 on his at-bats in the season opener, but Holt was out of the lineup on opening day. Pitchers Carson Smith, David Price, and Tyler Thornburg all remain on the 10-day DL. Price, one of the starting pitchers, likely won't be available until early May.
Starting left-handed pitcher Chris Sale will make his debut with the Red Sox after spending five seasons as a full-time starter with the White Sox. He had a shaky finish to 2016, alternating wins and losses in his last five starts. He also gave up five runs or more in two of them.
Boston sits as the -165 favorite on the money line and the total runs are set at 7.5. The Red Sox are 20-7 in their last 27 interleague games.
