No major news yesterday regarding Josh Beckett was good news for the Red Sox, who said the injured ace still is in line to start Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday at Fenway Park
Josh Beckett originally was scheduled to start Game 1 tomorrow night in Anaheim, Calif., but that changed when he injured his oblique muscle during a bullpen session Friday. Yesterday, before the team boarded a flight to the West Coast, Francona refused to elaborate on the right-hander’s injury but didn’t sound alarmed when discussing it.
Beckett has made a career of shining in big games, especially when October rolls around. Francona believes the player who will replace him in Game 1, Jon Lester, has a great chance of doing the same. Yesterday, Lester was named AL Pitcher of the Month for September, in which the left-hander was 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA in five starts, striking out 28 and walking 13.
Lester has faced the Angels four times in his three years in the big leagues, going 1-1 with a 7.78 ERA. In his last start against LA, the 24-year-old received a no decision in an eventual 6-4 Sox loss at Fenway on April 23. Lester (16-6, 3.21 ERA) will oppose Angels ace John Lackey (12-5, 3.75) in Game 1. In Game 2 on Friday night, Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90) will face righty Ervin Santana (16-7, 3.49). And in Game 3, Beckett is in line to match up against lefty Joe Saunders (17-7, 3.41). That, of course, could all change if his injury fails to improve. Potential replacements are knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and playoff-tested Paul Byrd, both of whom made the trip to Anaheim yesterday.
Nation Notes: The Red Sox were encouraged by what they saw from third baseman Mike Lowell (right hip injury) and right fielder J.D Drew (lower back strain) during the club’s optional batting practice yesterday at Fenway Park. Both players took their cuts in the cage but neither was allowed to do any defensive work. They will both work out this afternoon in Anaheim, Calif., before Terry Francona submits his final roster for the Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels tomorrow.
