Red Sox Look to Avoid Sweep Against Pirates with Giolito on the Mound

BOSTON — First baseman Nathaniel Lowe returns to the lineup for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday after missing a game for paternity leave. The Red Sox face the Pittsburgh Pirates at Fenway Park, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

Masataka Yoshida continues to serve as the designated hitter, despite struggling with a .232 batting average and .629 OPS in 34 games. The Red Sox look to salvage the final game of their three-game series against the Pirates, who currently sit at the bottom of the National League Central.

Lowe, who was signed by the Red Sox on August 17 after being released by the Nationals, boasts an impressive .296 batting average, going 8-for-27 with one home run, two doubles, and seven RBIs in his first nine games with Boston. His return to the lineup comes at a crucial point in the season.

“We’ve seen some progress from Yoshida this series. He seems to be seeing the ball a lot better,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. Yoshida is 2-for-6 with two strikeouts in this series.

Romy Gonzalez will take the field at second base today, and Ceddanne Rafaela will start in center field. Right-hander Lucas Giolito (9-2, 3.47 ERA) will pitch for Boston, facing off against Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (6-12, 4.35 ERA).

The Red Sox are locked in a pennant race, and losing to the last-place Pirates would represent a significant setback. Giolito is coming off a strong performance against the Orioles where he threw eight scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.

The Red Sox lineup includes Roman Anthony in right field, Alex Bregman at third base, Jarren Duran in left field, Trevor Story at shortstop, Nathaniel Lowe at first base, Masataka Yoshida as the designated hitter, Romy Gonzalez at second base, Ceddanne Rafaela in center field, and Carlos Narváez behind the plate.

The Pirates lineup features Jared Triolo at shortstop, Spencer Horwitz at first base, and Andrew McCutchen as the designated hitter. Notably, rookie Cam Devanney will make his MLB debut at Fenway Park.