This afternoon's starting pitchers have a total of seven career appearances between them.
Whalen, a 23-year-old right-hander, made five starts for Atlanta last year. This is first start of 2017.
Johnson, 26, made one start for the Red Sox in 2015 and one start last month. On April 18, he went five innings against the Blue Jays, allowing four runs. This is the lefty's first appearance in Fenway Park.
We've seen a gradual increase in his stuff overall. There's been better crispness, there's been better strike throwing, there's the ability to put away guys with a breaking ball, a slight uptick in velocity.