The Boston Red Sox have this 2013 American League Championship Series right where they want it. Boston leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 with two games left at Fenway Park, meaning that the Detroit Tigers need to win two straight games on the road if they want to defend their AL title and advance to the World Series. Fortunately for Detroit, they get to send Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to the mound in those two games, which is a heck of a head start. The two teams square off for Game 6 on Saturday.
2013 ALCS: Game 6 lineups
Alex Avila will start behind the plate for the Detroit Tigers despite sustaining a knee strain in Game 5.
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Avila will start behind the plate just two days after suffering a patellar tendon strain in his left knee in Game 5. Manager Jim Leyland is sticking with the shaken-up order that scored seven runs in Game 4 (and three more in Game 5). The only change from Thursday’s lineup is that Avila and Omar Infante have been flip-flopped in the 6th and 7th positions:
1. Hunter - RF
2. Cabrera - 3B
3. Fielder - 1B
4. Martinez - DH
5. Peralta - LF
6. Avila - C
7. Infante - 2B
8. Jackson - CF
9. Iglesias - SS
P. Scherzer
Boston goes with its normal lineup. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back behind the plate after backup catcher David Ross got a start in Game 5. First baseman Mike Napoli is 5-for-8 with two doubles and a home run in his last two games:
1. Ellsbury - CF
2. Victorino - RF
3. Pedroia - 2B
4. Ortiz - DH
5. Napoli - 1B
6. Saltalamacchia - C
7. Gomes - LF
8. Drew - SS
9. Bogaerts - 3B
P. Buchholz
Max Scherzer vs. Clay Buchholz is a rematch of Game 2. In the first match-up, Scherzer (seven innings, one run, 13 strikeouts) got the better of Buchholz (5 ⅔ innings, five runs, six strikeouts), but the Red Sox rallied against Detroit’s bullpen to secure the victory.
The broadcast starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox.
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