| 08 October 2009
Jon Heyman of SI.com was just on 98.5 The Sports Hub with Gary Tanguay discussing the upcoming ALDS matchup between the Angels and Red Sox.
He told Tanguay that "he has been told" that Jason Varitek will catch Game 2 with Josh Beckett starting.
For the record... this has not been confirmed by Francona or even Heyman himself via Twitter or the SI.com, this is simply Heyman statement from the radio interview at 1:30pm EST today.
Here's where things get interesting:
Varitek is 3 for 12 (.250) with two doubles against Jered Weaver - the Angels Game 2 starter. With Tek in the lineup, Tito is forced to sit one of the following guys:
Mike Lowell -- 5 for 16 (.313), BB against Weaver
Kevin Youkilis -- 6 for 20 (.300) 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB
David Ortiz -- 7 for 20 (.350) 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB
Victor Martinez -- 3 for 8 (.375) RBI, 4 BB
Mike Lowell is the most likely candidate, with Youk shifting the 3B, V-Mart going to first base and Ortiz Ding... but does it really make sense to remove a guy with good numbers, just to make Beckett happy?
Consider this angle beofre you give the obvious answer:
What will hurt the Red Sox more?
A) an 0-4 night from Jason Varitek in the 8th spot.
B) an uncomforatble Josh Beckett on the mound against a good Angels lineup.
The argument for Tek is that you need Beckett to be as mentally focused as possible. He hasn't looked all that sharp since his mid-season dominance ended in July and he was recently given three cortizone shots to help with a sore back. If having Varitek behind the plate eases his mind and enables him to be the Beckett of 2007 again - I guess you gotta try it.
The question is... will Tito make the switch late in the game if Varitek is due up in a key situation and Beckett is still pitching?
Only time will tell, but this news comes as a surprise to many.
What do you guys think is the right move?
ps. When (not if) this series gets to Game 4... Varitek could also be asked to catch Daisuke Matsuzaka due to the language barrier between Dice-K and Martinez... I'm just sayin'.
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