Red Sox rookie makes Fenway Park debut after successful road trip
Red Sox rookie Nick Sogard will make his Fenway Park debut on Friday night. He will bat seventh and play second base, earning his sixth start since he was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on July 31st.
Sogard made his major league debut on the road against the Texas Rangers. The switch-hitter went 5-for-19 (.263) with a .364 on-base percentage, three walks, and five strikeouts while starting five games on Boston’s 4-2 road trip.
“It was a nice weight off the shoulders and drive in a few runs and feel like I helped the team win today, it was a good feeling,” Sogard said to reporters following his first big league hit on the road in Texas.
While with the WooSox, Sogard was enjoying a strong season, batting .279 with an .832 OPS, 62 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, and 10 stolen bases in 89 games.
The switch-hitting utility man has played all over the diamond, making starts at shortstop (47 games), third base (19 games), right field (7 games), left field (6 games), second base (5 games), first base (2 games), and designated hitter (1 game).
Since joining the Red Sox, he has played four games at second base and two at shortstop.
Sogard and the rest of his teammates will face Astros starter Ronel Blanco for the first time. The right-handed starter is 9-6 with a 2.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 121 strikeouts, and 48 walks in 21 starts (124 innings). Blanco tossed MLB’s first no-hitter of the season back on April 2. His no-hitter was the 17th in Astros team history.
Astros (59-55) at Red Sox (61-52)
Red Sox lineup:
1. Jarren Duran LF
2. Wilyer Abreu RF
3. Masataka Yoshida DH
4. Rafael Devers 3B
5. Connor Wong C
6. Dom Smith 1B
7. Nick Sogard 2B
8. Ceddanne Rafaela CF
9. David Hamilton SS
Starting pitchers: RHP Ronel Blanco (9-6, 2.98 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Houck (8-8, 3.09 ERA)
First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. and can be seen on NESN, FuboTV, and Sling. It can also be streamed on NESN360 and heard on 93.7 WEEI FM.
