Boston: The brunt of the starting pitching staff (Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka) has excelled with a 6-2 record, coming together for a 1.99 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP versus the Rays in '08. Youthful slinger, Lester has been all the Red Sox could hope for from the 24-year old left-hander.

In three starts against Tampa Bay, 20 innings of work, Lester has garnered a 3-0 record with a 0.90 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Tampa’s bats have been held in check with a .240 BAA, while giving up one homer and striking out 19 extends the list of accomplishments that the Sox starter has been able to parlay in his favor. Either team has yet to release a projected pitching lineup, but sources close to Boston are indicating that Lester will take the ball in Game 2. That would mean the southpaw will rest four full days before stepping on the hill. Lester is a blistering 9-1 with a 2.91 ERA coming off those four days.

Playing the guessing game for the time being could have Beckett (coming off a five inning loss against the Angels in Game 3) toeing the slab on Friday. The ruling isn’t out for Matsuzaka’s chances of climbing on the hill in Game 1 with Beckett’s questionable oblique strain. Matsuzaka is 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA versus Tampa in eight career starts, going 1-0 with a 1.60 WHIP during the ’08 regular season.

The right-handed Beckett continues to say that his oblique strain is “fine” thus giving the idea that he’ll be throwing out balls sooner then later. The seven–year veteran held Tampa Bay to a suffocating .209 BAA this season, while working for a 2.06 ERA. His one defeat in Tropicana Field was recorded on Apr. 27 in which Beckett tossed seven innings, giving up four hits and two runs.

Bettors prepare because Boston has left playoff catalyst Mike Lowell out of the ALCS lineup. The third baseman continues to suffer with a hip strain that left him on the 15-day DL from mid-August to early September. In 31 career postseason games, Lowell has logged in a .257 BA, with 20 RBIs and four HRs. But it’s his defense that the Red Sox will miss down the stretch. There’s just no way of substituting Mark Kotsay or Sean Casey on first and moving Kevin Youkilis to third when compared to Lowell’s talent in the infield.

So far in the postseason, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Bay have combined to produce a .373 BA with 11 RBIs.

Pitching Rotation: Diasuke Matsuzaka - Game 1; Josh Beckett - Game 2; Jon Lester - Game 3; Tim Wakefield - Game 4
 
Tampa Bay: While the Rays took the season series 10-8, the team’s .233 BA with 3.7 runs scored per game couldn’t be called effective offense by any stretch. Only two players with 40 or more at bats versus Boston recorded a .300 BA or above (Akinori Iwamura and Carlos Pena), while Pena was the dominant run producer, brining in 12 RBIs.

And with no prediction just yet on how these games will develop, the writing is on the wall that Tampa Bay is going to need its pitchers to step up big time. The starting staff has had its problems in the 18 played against the Sox, manufacturing a high 4.97 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP. The bullpen has faired much better with a 2.29 ERA (seven pitchers that have tossed four innings or more).  Reliever, Grant Balfour recorded 14 holds on the season and made three appearances against the White Sox (2.4 innings, two hits surrendered with zero runs). And keep your eye on slinger, J.P. Howell who's coming off 4.1 innings of work in the division series. The lefty gave up just two hits in his effort to hold the Rays from bleeding further. 

Again, it’s about a day too early for pitching matchups. Surmising, starting slinger, James Shields will be off a total of seven days when Oct. 10 rolls around. The right-hander earned a ‘W’ in Game 1 of the ALDS, holding the White Sox to three runs in 6.1 innings of work. The main problem with throwing Shields onto the mound rests in his career 2-4 performance with a 5.23 ERA versus the Red Sox.

Lefty, Scott Kazmir would be the next logical starter as a 6-3 record with a 2.93 ERA off five-plus days of rest has been plenty good for his Rays team. The bad news for Tampa backers is that Kazmir is 0-2 in four starts against Boston this season, pilling up a 9.00 ERA. The southpaw was blasted for 24 hits, 19 runs and six bombs out of the stadium in his combined starts.

The other issue is who takes closing duties for Tampa? Dan Wheeler was only used once in a 6-4 win over Chicago in Game 1. He received the lone save of the series. With 28 saves on the season, question over whether closer Troy Percival (back) returns during the playoffs remains in the air. Management may have to take a close look at this matchup due to the fact that Percival has been destroyed by Boston in his career, falling victim with a 6.31 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, .273 BAA with only 18 saves in 39 games dating back to 1995.

Starting Rotation: James Shields - Game 1; Scott Kazmir - Game 2; Matt Garza - Game 3; Andy Sonnanstine - Game 4