The young lefty Connelly Early will take the mound for the first time against New York since he made his iconic playoff debut in the Bronx. He will be squaring off with Luis Gil, who has started the season extremely rocky after having his debut delayed due to an injury.Gil has taken the ball only twice this season. He threw 88 pitches in just four innings in a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in his first start.

Five days later, he was able to get an inning deeper into a start against the Los Angeles Angels, but gave up four earned runs on three home runs and did not earn a decision. As far as Boston's lineup is concerned, Jarren Duran will be in the dugout for the third time in four games. Masataka Yoshida is batting third as the designated hitter despite being 1-10 in his career against Gil.

Yoshida is a righty killer, posting a .348 batting average against RHP this season.Cedanne Rafaela is starting in center field and is followed in the order by second baseman Marcelo Mayer and third baseman Caleb Durbin. Carlos Narvaez bats ninth and will catch Early. The Red Sox need to take advantage of the pitching in game one of this three-game series, as New York is rolling out Max Fried and Cam Schlittler in games two and three. More MLB: Red Sox Prospect Has Best Batting Average In Minor Leagues