"You can't be anything but proud of those guys."
So, on the way to St. Petersburg, Fla., for Game 1 against the Rays Friday, the Sox have decisions to make, in the rotation and on the roster. That fact was made all the more acute when the Sox announced Monday that Lowell was removed from the ALDS roster, rendering him ineligible for the ALCS. That leaves a spot to be filled among some machinations in the final 25.
But first, there's the matter of the rotation. With a seven-game series it is necessary to use four starters, unlike the ALDS, in which the Sox could rely on Jon Lester to get two of the three wins.
With Lester having pitched Monday, he would be going on short rest in Game 1 of the ALCS, something the Sox are unlikely to do. That leaves Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka as possibilities for Friday. Beckett would be pitching on normal rest after his Sunday night start, and Matsuzaka would have six days of rest.
Last year, there would not have even been a question. This year, things are different. Not only because Beckett has had a significantly more difficult season, but also because of injury concerns. Beckett was pushed back from starting the first game of the ALDS after he strained his right oblique in a side session Sept. 26. That left him with the Game 3 start, one that was startling in its tedium and, sometimes, its ineffectiveness.
"I didn't see any backlash from his oblique, but he did a lot to be able to even take that ball for us," Jason Varitek said after Game 3. "We all commend him, because he was hurting. We all tip our cap for him even to make that start."
Beckett's five-inning, four-run performance in Game 3 raised the possibility that he struggled because of injury - despite his repeatedly saying that his health was "fine" before and after the game - as well as the possibility that rust played into an outing in which he gave up nine hits and four walks.
