The Red Sox will leave no stone unturned in their pivotal Game 3 matchup against the Yankees on Thursday night.
When speaking with reporters ahead of first pitch from Yankee Stadium, manager Alex Cora revealed how Boston will use its bullpen behind 23-year-old starting pitcher Connelly Early—and they're using an all-hands-on-deck strategy.
Despite Brayan Bello starting Game 2, a 3-2 loss to New York, the 26-year-old will be in Boston's bullpen and available to pitch. Additionally, relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock—who threw a season-high 47 pitches across 1 2/3 innings on Wednesday night—will also be ready to roll.
"There's guys that are feeling it, but they're ready to go," said the skipper. "Let's put it that way."
Cora also didn't fully shut down the idea of ace Garrett Crochet taking the bump if necessary: "We'll see, but probably not."
Despite a willingness to bring in just about anyone from the bullpen, however, Cora also sounds like he has confidence in Early to give them a respectable outing from the jump.
"I think we're in a good place regardless,” he said. "Hopefully he goes deep into the game and we don't have to make too many phone calls to the bullpen."
Here's a look at who Boston will start in the field behind Early:
Red Sox Lineup for Game 3 vs. Yankees
1. Jarren Duran - LF
2. Trevor Story - SS
3. Alex Bregman - 3B
4. Masataka Yoshida - DH
5. Ceddanne Rafaela - CF
6. Nathaniel Lowe - 1B
7. Carlos Narváez - C
8. Wilyer Abreu - RF
9. Romy Gonzalez - 2B
Game 3's first pitch from Yankee Stadium is set for 8:08 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as All Hands on Deck: Alex Cora Reveals Red Sox Bullpen Plans For Game 3 vs. Yankees.
