After a difficult 1-5 opening road trip, the Red Sox will look to turn the page in their home opener Friday afternoon.
“We played well in Cincinnati, we lost two out of three there,” manager Alex Cora said. “We got demolished in Houston.”
To Cora, the key to turning things around is clear; though Sox pitchers have struggled, it’s the lineup that needs to get going.
“We just need to hit, to be honest with you,” Cora said. “That’s it.”
The Red Sox will send righty Sonny Gray to the mound for the home opener, which also lines him up for the annual Marathon Monday morning game, Cora said.
Friday will also mark Xander Bogaerts‘ first career game at Fenway as a visiting player. Bogaerts, the Red Sox all-time leader in games played at shortstop, was on the injured list the last time the Padres came to Boston in 2024.
Red Sox lineup
Roman Anthony DH
Trevor Story SS
Jarren Duran LF
Willson Contreras 1B
Wilyer Abreu RF
Caleb Durbin 3B
Marcelo Mayer 2B
Carlos Narváez C
Ceddanne Rafaela CF
San Diego Padres lineup
Fernando Tatis Jr. RF
Xander Bogaerts SS
Jackson Merrill CF
Manny Machado 3B
Ramon Laureano LF
Miguel Andujar DH
Gavin Sheets 1B
Jake Cronenworth 2B
Luis Campusano
Probable pitchers
RHP Michael King vs. RHP Sonny Gray
How to watch Padres vs. Red Sox
When: 2:10 p.m. ET
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
Broadcast info: NESN, WEEI 93.7 FM, WCCM 1490 AM (Spanish), WESX 1230 AM (Spanish)