Game 114 Preview: Red Sox at Marlins

Junichi Tazawa hasn't recorded a save since 2012 and last night he had a great opportunity to begin his new role as the Red Sox closer with finishing up a 4-3 victory as he came out in the 9th inning last night. Now that Koji Uehara is out for the remainder of the year, Tazawa got the first crack at being the closer and unfortunately his recent failures continued. As the Marlins walked-off with a win in 10 innings, the Sox now fall to 12 games under .500 on the road and is the teams first loss against the Marlins in their last 8 games. However, the youth that has been coming up within the Sox system will continue to be thrust into the spotlight and gives fans a great opportunity to see what the future might hold.

Eduardo Rodriguez (6-4 4.17) is one of the brightest young stars on the Sox roster and he will be on the mound this afternoon against the Marlins and another rookie Adam Conley (1-0 4.05). Rodriguez's battery mate, Blake Swihart has been improving at the plate to go along with his success behind it and the two have shown that they work well together at staying on the same page in regards to the game plan against the oppositions lineup. The outfield also has shown some promise with Bradley Jr, Betts and Castillo not only in the field but at the plate too. Betts returned to the lineup last night with 3 hits and 2 RBIs and once again today, Manager John Farrell has decided to play the trio and continue to rest Hanley Ramirez.

Here is today's Red Sox lineup:

Betts(CF)
Holt (2B)
Bogaerts (SS)
Ortiz (1B)
Castillo (RF)
Sandoval (3B)
Swihart (C)
Bradley Jr (LF)
Rodriguez (P)

Quick Hits:

- In his last 2 starts, the Sox offense has given Rodriguez 15 runs of support
- Rick Porcello, who's currently on the DL will be making a rehab start on Saturday for the Lowell Spinners

Have a question for Mike during the game or whenever a baseball discussion is going on, reach out via Twitter: @86flynn