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It's official: John Farrell has named Jon Lester as the Red Sox' starting pitcher for Game 1 of the 2013 World Series.
This, of course, comes as no surprise. Lester holds a 2.33 ERA through three starts this postseason. Never perfect, but generally under control, Lester has led the Red Sox to two victories, with his only loss coming in Game 1 of the ALCS, when Anibal Sanchez and the Detroit bullpen very nearly held Boston's lineup hitless. His most recent effort in Game 5 was a bit touch-and-go, but even when he didn't have his best stuff Lester managed to fight through to come away with 5.1 innings of two-run ball. With the bullpen performing as well as it has in the postseason, the Red Sox will take that.
There's no explicit news on the roster, rotation, or lineup besides that, but it seems like it's going to be more of the same based on comments about "momentum". That likely means Gomes, Bogaerts, and Drew will all be in the lineup while Will Middlebrooks and Daniel Nava ride the pine. It does make the catching situation a little confusing--is Jarrod Saltalamacchia out there to maintain the "momentum" of the lineup from Game 6, or is it David Ross who caught Lester in both his starts against Detroit? Smart money is on the latter, particularly given Saltalamacchia's hat trick in Game 6, but it's hard to say when speaking in such nebulous terms.
As for who's up next on the mound? My guess is John Lackey, who was dominant in Game 3. Then again, perhaps they'll take that fantastic away game as a reason to play his batted ball profile rather than his home - away splits. Busch Stadium is certainly a more friendly place for a fly ball pitcher than Fenway, and both Clay Buchholz and John Lackey would ultimately be pitching twice in a seven-game series either way.
