Red Sox lineup: Devers out for third consecutive game, Criswell debuts

The Red Sox are hoping to avoid losing their fifth consecutive home game, which would set a new franchise record for the start of a season, but they’ll have to find a way to win without one of their most powerful bats.

Rafael Devers’ shoulder is keeping him out of the lineup for the third consecutive game, and if Alex Cora has his way, the third baseman will sit out Sunday, too.

“I’m shooting for Monday,” the Red Sox manager said before Saturday afternoon’s game. “He’s shooting for tomorrow, so we’ll have a debate about that.”

“I just want to make sure he’s okay,” Cora added. “He’s too important for us. And if he goes out there, he plays and he feels it, what’s the point? At that point, we got to put him on the IL. So, I’d rather just wait and be patient with him, and from my end I’m shooting for Monday. He prefers tomorrow.”

Though the mere mention of a stint on the injured list is concerning, Cora clarified that Devers is improving.

“He’s getting better, he’s progressing, he feels a lot better compared to where he was, so you got to trust him,” the skipper explained. “The swing is different right now, trying to protect it. You can see, he’s not, he wasn’t staying inside the ball like he was in spring training. Swing and misses bother him, so I think this is the best way of taking this.”

Without Devers in the lineup the last two nights, the Red Sox went 11-for-66 (.167) with five doubles, one home run (Connor Wong), and only four runs scored. They drew four walks and struck out 17 times.

However, the shoulder is clearly preventing the slugger from being his usual productive self. Over 10 games this year, he’s managed just seven hits in 38 at-bats (.184), two doubles, two home runs, three RBI, and five runs scored. He has, however, shown more patience at the plate, drawing more walks (7) than he’s struck out (6).

The Sox haven’t gone into specifics about the shoulder ailment, but Cora said he was “not really” concerned noted that Devers could injure it further, and that in a higher-stakes setting, the slugger would be in the lineup.

“Probably later on in the season, he’ll play through,” he said. “I think we’ll take care of this and he should be fine.”

Criswell makes Red Sox debut

Cooper Criswell was added to the active roster Saturday to make his first start for Boston.

Fittingly, it’s against his former organization. The Angels selected him in the 13th round of the ’18 draft and he debuted with them during the ’21 season, making one 1 1/3-inning start for them that year and an additional start the following season.

Criswell spent the ’23 season in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, and their big-league club used him exclusively out of the bullpen. Inn his ten appearances – including four games finished – he allowed 21 earned runs (23 total) on 40 hits, 11 walks, four hit batsmen, and 27 strikeouts over 33 innings.

The right-hander, 27, pitched in six spring training games for the Sox, including four starts, and allowed six earned runs, three walks, and struck out 17 batters over 18 1/3 innings. Beginning the year with two starts for in Triple-A Worcester, he allowed one earned run on eight hits, three walks, and struck out nine batters over 10 1/3 innings. His command can falter, though; he hit three batsmen over his two WooSox games.

Criswell will square off against Griffin Canning. His most recent start was against the Sox in Anaheim, and they knocked him around. Over 4 2/3 innings, they tagged the righty for four earned runs on five hits, three walks, and only four strikeouts.

Red Sox lineup (April 13, 2024)

Jarren Duran LF

Wilyer Abreu RF

Masataka Yoshida DH

Triston Casas 1B

Bobby Dalbec 3B

Enmanuel Valdez 2B

Ceddanne Rafaela CF

Reese McGuire C

David Hamilton SS

Angels lineup (April 13, 2024)

Anthony Rendon 3B

Nolan Schanuel 1B

Mike Trout CF

Taylor Ward LF

Aaron Hicks RF

Brandon Drury 2B

Mickey Moniak DH

Logan O’Hoppe C

Zach Neto SS

How to watch Red Sox vs. Angels

When: 4:10 p.m. ET

Where: Fenway Park

Watch: NESN (Red Sox), Bally Sports West (Angels)

Listen: WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM (Spanish) 

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