Clubhouse Insider

It's the Red Sox and Blue Jays from Rogers Centre in Toronto and this is the Herb Chambers Honda pregame show. It's time for the clubhouse insider WEEI dot com's Alex appear alongside Alex Red Sox and Blue Jays in Toronto tonight Boston. Trying to wrap up to sweep. And they've gotten this point because they managed to get another good performance from Clay Buchholz and and managed to get to Roy Halladay. Who had what was very few and far between for him an off night.

Yeah it was it was a tremendous turn of events in many respects for the Red Sox they -- struggled badly against good starting pitchers there. As of as of the Justin Verlander start about a week ago. They had faced fourteen pitchers who add fourteen starters radio raised a three point five or better. And of those thirteen had quality starts so the fact that they were able to breakthrough against a guy like Roy Halladay who's. Described by some people as being basically in a class by himself. In the American League is a very very significant events. For an offense that had really been that did you know been. Looked at as as struggling for much of the second half of the season they seem to be coming around pretty quickly right now and -- the timing is excellent obviously.

A lot has been made about Jason Varitek absence from the lineup not so much the offense of absence that is deep sense of absence behind the plate. In this will be the third consecutive game -- Ameritech has missed with a neck problem it was Josh Beckett on Tuesday Clay Buchholz last night now Jon Lester tonight. What do you make of it do you make anything of it mean certainly we've been told that we've learned over the years how important Jason Varitek is to that pitching staff but Martinez's.

Pretty good catcher to I would match. His resume is -- is extremely solid as Gary tuck the the bullpen and catching instructor. Put it the Red Sox have something that no other team really has which is two All-Star catchers who make him turn -- so. Victor Martinez has experienced. Handling a playoff caliber pitching staff. He was the anchor of the job of the 2007 Indians team they've made it to game seven of the ALCS against the against the Red Sox but that said. There's clearly a transition process that needs to a car. You can't just jump in and expect that you're going to have. Immediate sync with the new pitching staff I mean we've seen in the other direction at times. Win for instance the Red Sox made -- trading deadline deal for Eric Gagne and it took awhile. Maybe it was in game one can argue that it never really happened that does the Jason Varitek. In -- found comfort working together. And so was so there's clearly a learning process we -- that would Martinez. When he caught Clay Buchholz in in Buchholz has right -- in in Martinez's first start after being treated. To the Red Sox and made the pairing didn't work well that day but it's been great since then so. Their can be transitional difficulties perhaps that's what we saw a bit of with Beckett the other day. It remains to be seen tonight how will that goes with Theo with Lester but obviously. It's very important to the Red Sox a seat if Varitek is going to miss any more time how Martinez is able to do with the new staff.

When I like Beckett on Tuesday -- I watched stuff for the mistakes who's making -- matter too -- who was behind the play and it was just a case -- an off night. The back again few and far between for Beckett. But I found one of his quotes telling after the game in which he -- at some in the effect of he relies much more on the catcher for scouting reports on the attack hitters. Maybe a lot of the pitchers do in that he doesn't spend a ton of time before the game going over that stuff he relies on Jason Varitek. Jon Lester is developing into a similar mentality is Josh Beckett and that maybe puts a little moralists and catcher than the average pitcher catcher pairings.

No question these are these are guys who have been brought up through the Red Sox system -- in over the course of several years of being repaired -- to think that they can you know they can change the mental focus that they bring into this -- rather than having to spend hours and hours poring over the opposing lineup vacant. You know take it and he trusted Varitek is going to know their stuff well enough in of the opposing lineups well enough. That there'll be a plan of attack that they don't really have to think too much about they have to worry more about execution. -- about strategy. So there's a bit of a shift. Anytime you have a new catcher and that's not a commentary on Martinez so much is it is. On just you know what it is to be familiar with one point with one night catcher and and working with another one with whom you're not familiar. So you side times you know Beckett probably more than you witness -- with Varitek shaking off Martinez and kind of looking like he was searching for for for the right approach against certain batters and so remains to be seen. Whether or not there's outfit that seems immediately comfortable. With with Lester but that said we shouldn't go overboard in stated this is all the responsibility catcher certainly you know it it still comes -- the execution for the pitcher.

Offensively with a return Dustin Pedroia in the lineup tonight. This is the lineup that just looking from a run production standpoint and -- most Red Sox fans think is their best. And it's been a lineup that's been pretty darned productive of of late and know that they have via the terrible spelling Yankee Stadium. But but they've they've been hitting the ball with great authority over the course of this month at the -- to thirty home runs on the month now which is which is tied for the Major League lead. And you all of a sudden the -- looks a lot different because Jason Bay and David Ortiz are hitting the ball and hitting with authority and so now. You're starting to get into a lineup that looks like he could be you know date that it could -- feature power threats one through eight that's that's pretty formidable. -- Alex thanks as always we'll talk to assume. Thanks so much on and don't forget you can catch that conversation along with -- all of our pregame preachers that WEEI dot com just click on audio on demand. And now it's time for the Red Sox trivia questions sponsored by -- me Al Simmons was thrown out of the game in 1943. For awhile. On the answer later in the show would you like the answering immediately text that question or any other. To KGB KGB which is 542542. When your wireless phones and the KGB team will have the answer for you in seconds. KGB. They answer to you on the way -- trip around the major leagues coming up next Casey Kotchman on the inside pitch this is the Herb Chambers on a pregame show. On the WRKO Red Sox radio network.