Ortiz, Sandoval Not In Red Sox Lineup For Series Opener vs. Athletics
BOSTON (CBS) -- A pair of stars will be on the Red Sox bench for Friday's series opener against the Oakland Athletics.
Though "stars" is certainly a generous moniker for them both, as David Ortiz and Pablo Sandoval will get the night off Friday night.
Preview: Athletics @ Red Sox
Both players are struggling mightily at the plate. Ortiz has posted a .220/.300/.376 split for the season with six homers and 19 RBI, and it has only gotten worse since the start of May. Ortiz hit .214 that month, and has followed it up with a .188 June so far (3-for-16). Ortiz has driven in just eight runs since the start of May.
Sandoval's slide has been worse. He was hitting .329 on May 2, but his average has since dropped to .239 thanks to a .200 average in May and an 0-for-9 start to June. Signed to a five-year, $95 million contract in the offseason, Sandoval has just 17 RBI on the season. He also has seven errors in the field, including a pair of two-error games over the last week.
It certainly doesn't help that lefty Scott Kazmir is on the bump of Oakland. Ortiz is batting just .118 against left-handers this season, with Sandoval chiming in at .113. Boston as a team is hitting .225 against southpaws this season -- ranked 27th in baseball.
So on Friday night, Ortiz and Sandoval will get a breather in the hopes they'll be able to bounce back from their current struggles. Despite his own struggles, the .263-hitting Hanley Ramirez will take over for Ortiz at DH, with Brock Holt getting the start at third. Newly acquired outfielder Alejandro De Aza will make his Red Sox debut Friday night, taking over for Ramirez in left.
Here's the full Boston lineup for Friday night:
1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. Brock Holt, 3B
3. Hanley Ramirez, DH
4. Mike Napoli, 1B
5. Xander Bogaerts
6. Mookie Betts, CF
7. Blake Swihart, C
8. Alejandro De Aza
9. Rusney Castillo, RF
The 4-5 Wade Miley gets the start for the Red Sox.