With Blue Jays in town, Red Sox to honor Jackie

The Red Sox took two out of three at Toronto last weekend, but the Blue Jays won't have to wait long for redemption, visiting Fenway Park for a four-game series that starts on Friday night. Rick Porcello and R.A. Dickey will reprise their matchup from Saturday. In that one, Porcello got the win and Dickey (six earned runs) took the loss in an 8-4 victory for Boston.

The Red Sox will hold a pregame ceremony in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. Per usual, all players will wear No. 42.

"You know, there are probably a lot of different things that you could say as far as Jackie's importance in not only the game of baseball, but in many ways, the game reflects what takes place in society," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "To see documentation of what he went through, to still perform at the level he did, to create so many more opportunities for so many more that came behind him, it's only right that his 42 is retired and that a day is in his honor. His impact reached far beyond the game of baseball."

Veteran Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista has always loved hitting alongside the Green Monster. He has 21 homers and a .965 OPS in 245 plate appearances at Fenway Park. This is a favorable matchup for Bautista, who ripped a pair of two-run homers off Porcello on Saturday.

Three things to know about this game

• Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has swung the bat well against Dickey in his career, hitting .367 (11-for-30) with four doubles, a homer and seven RBIs.

• Josh Thole will get the start behind the plate as Dickey's personal catcher. Thole, who revamped his swing this offseason, has gone 1-for-7 with a home run in three games this season. He is 2-for-12 with a homer, two RBIs and two strikeouts in his career against Porcello.

• Outfielder Rusney Castillo may have been a candidate to get his second start of the season for the Red Sox, but he was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket after Wednesday's 4-2 Boston win over Baltimore. Castillo's first start was against Dickey, and he had two hits, including a double.