With the AL East leaders expected to start three left-handed starters in the series at Fenway Park, Alex Cora will turn to Rob Refsnyder and Romy González in his lineup.

Check, Marcelo Mayer. Check. Roman Anthony. Check. The Red Sox and the Big Three have done what looked almost impossible to do: they’ve stopped the bleeding.

Why is Alex Cora hesitant to let talented rookies Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer hit against left-handed pitchers? He explained his thinking at length Tuesday afternoon.