Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona has announced his rotation for the first four games of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Game 1 – Daisuke Matsuzaka
- Game 2 – Josh Beckett
- Game 3 – Jon Lester
- Game 4 – Tim Wakefield
By starting Matsuzaka in Game 1 he avoids him having an extra long layoff of nearly 10 days and by giving the ball to Beckett in Game 2 and Lester in Game 3 he gives each an extra day of rest between starts. It also lines up Beckett for a potential Game 6 and Lester potentially for Game 7 should they get into an extended series with Tampa Bay.
