Red Sox try to win series against Not Paul Skenes

Paul Skenes hasn’t quite been PAUL SKENES this season — he gave up at least 5 earned runs in 3 of his 6 starts in July. Nevertheless, it’s still a nice little treat for the Sox that he’s been bumped from this afternoon’s start.

Instead, it’ll be Lake Bachar taking the bump for the Pirates. Bachar is a reliever, but he has thrown 3 innings in a game 4 times already this season, including twice this month. Presumably, that’s what the Bucs will be hoping to get out of him before turning the game over to the rest of the bullpen.

With Masataka Yoshida heading to the IL, Adley Rutschman will assume DH duties. Willson Contreras, who is hitting under the Mendoza line with just a single homer in August, will get the day off.

On the other side of the ball it’ll be Patrick Sandoval making his seventh start of the year. Sandoval’s superficial numbers are perfectly respectable, but anyone who’s watched him pitch knows he’s been the beneficiary a lot of luck and has walked on a tightrope every time out. Hopefully this afternoon he doesn’t fall off.