Alex Speier, Red Sox Pregame

Right now we are hoping the weather holds for this one and despite poor forecast throughout must vote today it looks like we might be able to get this one under way Alex and one of the questions is. How could that potentially affect the guys who they wanna get regular work particularly Josh Beckett this is his tuneup start to get himself ready to go. Take the ball postseason -- yeah -- and -- it is clearly the most important guy in this equation tonight and they would like to see him get you know if not a if not a huge workload tonight a significant one because. He didn't miss his last start as a result of the back spasms and so. In order to feel like he has that touch and feel first pitches they wanna see him get out there and get between probably as a guess eighty and a hundred pitches or so. If if the rains come then you know that introduces some different variables in the equation in you know clearly be terrible -- they were to have Josh Beckett slip on the mound. And do anything it would disrupt his for his son his readiness for the playoffs next week but. You know I think that the priority is getting him some work himself. So long as the conditions are just miserable I think we'll see him out there for -- duplicate this game. If you looked up and -- this roster there -- a lot of guys you could circle and say if the Red Sox were to lose this individual for any particular reason it would be significant blow to their postseason chances but boy it seems like they really have dodged a bullet. -- Alex Gonzales you have that's a significant one Gonzales felt showed up having felt that having felt really good the the X rays came back clean. In so they're confident that he may be able to play tomorrow and that he will certainly be available for the post season. And that's significant because shortstop is as it has been almost all year. Their position of greatest organizational weakness it wasn't supposed to start this way remember back to spring training when there was the quote unquote heated competition between Jed Lowrie and Julio Lugo. That over the course of several months turned into a position of attrition in which. You you would put a bunch of guys out there are none of them could stay there so. I think that there are thrilled that Gonzales is going to be able to remain out there. It's it's really been a moment in which you can take stock of what his influence was on the on the making of this team. You know his acquisition in mid August seemed relatively trivial at the time but he's been the everyday guy he's taken on a huge workload. I stopped the kind of revolving door at shortstop that'd been their for most of the year in die he he added a lot of stability. That said it will be interesting to see whether or not Jed Lowrie does end up getting. Any playing time -- in in against the Angels I doubt it but they do you have a left handed heavy they do have a left handed heavy rotation. But even so I think that Gonzales is the man and that's. That's pretty interesting since he wasn't he wasn't he wasn't on the team even after the July 31 trade deadline. And now there may be a question as to who the fourth outfielder on this team could be the post season Rocco Baldelli strained as if flex their last night. And didn't feel that much better today no that's that's a pretty significant development in my mind at least because. He's someone who had experience being a very successful role player in last year's post season. Hit a home run against the Red Sox in the ALCS he had another one against Philadelphia in the World Series in he's a guy who understands how to succeed. In a part time role which is an is an easy thing to do now all of a sudden you're looking at the possibility that. Well we don't know what his circumstances are what soon but he is going to probably have to undergo an MRI. In that we'll probably have to wait until Monday. And so at that point they'll be able to get it's a determination. About what his availability will likely be for the post season but hypothetically you could see a Brian Anderson and a sneaking onto the post season roster if there's -- significant problem here. With Baldelli and it probably will also secure this spot which may have already been secured for Joey Gathright there was some question whether or not. He would make the cut or not depend on what they do with their pitching staff that looks like. He's going to be on the postseason roster yeah and they also gave every indication today that they're planning on only having two catchers in the post season they won't as they have in the last couple of post seasons have a third and so. That would further freedom to have. You know to have the deeper outfield and more versatile bench mainly with extra outfielder -- Alex thanks as always thanks so much.