Alex Speier, Red Sox Pre-Game

Alex spirit of -- dot -- alongside -- let's start with the -- from a night ago and Jon Lester had unbelievable stuff arguably the best stuff we've never seen him have at any point in his career you're absolutely right John he was hitting 98 miles an hour on the on the gun which is a number that we've never seen him achieved before. His changeup was a nasty swing and -- offering in the in the final couple of innings. Does the fastball and curve that he was showing in the first three innings where. Incredible like already in the first three innings you could say he has no hit stuff and then for the middle three innings he was adding an absolutely devastating cut fastball. And then when he's complaining to change at the end it was it was overpowering he got. I believe 21 swings and misses on his 107 pitches that's not believable ratio that's the type of number. There were so -- from seeing from. Guys like Jonathan Papelbon short relievers who -- able to come in and blow guys away starters shouldn't be able to do that Lester was last night he was incredible. You know we've seen at times a sign that that was what was to com or at least some semblance of that yet when it happens. Released a little bit surprised because the performances so amazing. But the same time he's been getting an alarming rate swings and -- all season long even when he struggled. You're absolutely right I mean the problem was never with this stuff this year you would find that there would be one inning in which things would unravel form really really quickly he would give up. You know rather than having a one run inning he would have. Almost every outing for a via for the first several start of the year when inning in which he got things for about three runs or sometimes more. In you know so his mistakes were kind of up in the strike zone for most of the year. That made him vulnerable to home runs but in the last couple of outings what we're seeing is a guy who's been borderline unhittable is given up five hits in his last. Fifteen innings that's. That's amazing especially when it's complimented with 23 strikeouts and maybe the most amazing thing -- all after the game Jon Lester had nothing to complain about act act act. That's a great point he's he is definitely perfectionist and someone who who holds himself to a very high standard and so. The fact that he said that it was very satisfying. To be on the mound for that last out of the game is that it's notable of its own right John. J. D. Drew is not in the lineup this afternoon in the indications aren't you expect you back in the lineup come Tuesday after Monday's off day what's up with -- shoulder. He said that he had soreness pretty much in spring training in various degrees in the AC joint of his left shoulder and he said it -- and sometimes when it swings that it become. It'd become -- worse in recent weeks in it was still really starting to affect him he was starting to feel it. When he would go when he would lift his -- to catch a fly ball and so as a result. After Friday night's game he got a cortisone shot in the AC joint of the shoulder. They're giving -- a couple of days for the for the soreness to kind of calmed down -- with the oft -- with the fact that they they were facing a left hander. On Saturday night they figured they would give him Saturday off. Given Sunday off against a right hander which would be which is the kind of sub optimal circumstances that allows him to get better and then with Monday's off day. Drew in the team both feel pretty certain that he's going to be back in the lineup on Tuesday December it is that for him. That he was swinging quite well -- you can even with the soreness. Before before he did require the shot.

Well we all remember how well he played a year ago this Tommy -- go in the month of June and he was showing signs of really warming up maybe not quite to that degree but certainly getting on track offensively. This is a recurring thing -- not necessarily the shoulder this injury but some injuries some time all the time saves.

Yeah he's done a pretty good job for the most part of minimizing the minimizing the time on the sidelines you know and keeping it to a couple of days with injuries reverence and landing on the disabled list with the exception of his lengthy time on the shelf. For the final six weeks of the regular season last year. He's he's been pretty good about you know. If he gets injured with -- if something creeps up. Then he gets a show lottery gets taken care -- back in the lineup a couple of days later so that certainly has put this entry into he was confident that. If the cortisone shot at taking care if we talked about the fence yesterday now it'll Mark Kotsay in the -- of who gives them some versatility in the deep and both in the outfield where hopefully right today in the first -- and -- there. Yeah you know they they were really hurting for their depth until kotsay got healthy the fact of the fact that they were you know relying on. I'm Jeff Daly or Chris Carter to be their kind of first base. Right field or you know breakthrough type -- left them a little bit hamstrung. Cuts as a guy who's you know who's defensively good enough that he can play. Not only right field but also we consent -- field. In -- as we saw last year in the ALCS he's a very good first baseman as well but. You know he's he's he's a more impact caliber guy on the on the bench for them he does give them a lot of versatility. And for the Red Sox that's pretty significant when you need to move guys around the diamond nordic give people like Mike Lowell like having you coolest days off. Right now thank you always applaud you so that's great down thanks.