On the one hand, you never want to go into Fenway riding a five-game losing streak, but on the other, one good win could really turn it all around.
SEATTLE MARINERS BOSTON RED SOX
Ichiro RF Bellhorn 2B
Winn LF Nixon RF
Beltre 3B Ramirez LF
Ibanez 1B Ortiz DH
Boone 2B Millar 1B
Reed CF Varitek C
Dobbs DH Payton CF
Olivo C Mueller 3B
Valdez SS Vazquez SS
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Moyer (4-0, 3.53) Clement (3-0, 4.00)
Going up against one of baseball's best offenses in a hitter's paradise isn't the ideal scenario for Jamie Moyer to keep his numbers down, so the pressure'll be on the lineup to get on base and make something happen against Clement. He's had his bouts with wildness in the early going, but he's been murder on righties for the past few years (.215/.281/.342), so it'll be important for Ichiro, Ibanez, Winn, and Reed to create run-scoring opportunities. The good news: David Ortiz is slumping, Manny Ramirez is nursing a sore ankle, Kevin Millar has yet to go deep, and Keith Foulke has had a home run problem. There's hope.
LET'S GO MARINERS!