Pierzynski gets nod behind plate against lefty

BOSTON -- Though David Ross generally starts for the Red Sox behind the plate against left-handers, A.J. Pierzynski got the nod on Tuesday night against Erik Bedard.

One reason was the fact John Lackey was pitching for Boston. Lackey and Pierzynski have worked well together in their first few weeks as teammates. Another was that Pierzynski is starting to warm up offensively and belted a grand slam on Saturday in Toronto. And then there was the third reason -- Pierzynski came in as a .429 hitter (9-for-21) lifetime against Bedard with two homers and four RBIs.

"Yeah, they're coming off a couple of games in which they worked very well together," said manager John Farrell of Tuesday's battery. "You know, A.J. has had a lot of success against Bedard as well, and we're looking at ways to lengthen out the lineup as best as possible. That doesn't mean that David is going to find himself not playing against left-handed starters. Coming off the off-day, everyone's rested to go, and this is the combination."

In a much smaller sample size, Ross had also fared well against Bedard, going 2-for-4 with two homers.

Pierzynski is Boston's primary starter behind the plate, but Ross should continue to see more playing time than the average backup.