That leaves an open roster spot. My guess is that it gets filled by Julian Tavarez.
Wakefield off WS roster, Lester likely to start Game 4, Ellsbury starts in CF in Game 1
Tim Wakefield met with the media just a few minutes ago to describe the injury to his "posterior shoulder" that will keep him off the World Series roster.Here are some of his comments:
"I really wish I was up here talking about my starting Game 2," Wakefield said. "But unfortunately that's not the case today. After long talks with [Terry Francona] and John Farrell and Theo [Epstein], my health, advice from the doctors, it's not going to happen, unfortunately.
"Could I pitch Game 2? Probably. But are you going to get 100 percent out of Tim Wakefield? I don't know that either, until Tuesday. After that I don't know either, because dealing with this problem that I've had for the past two months, it seems like my recovery time in getting longer and longer, and I just don't think it's fair to the other 24 guys on this team that I go out there and maybe I pitch well and maybe I don't, and then I'm not available for the rest of the series. It's not fair for the rest of the 24 guys in that clubhouse for me to put them through that."
The injury is the same one that kept Wakefield from a start in September and caused him to be left off the ALDS roster."
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The rotation was set for the first three games of the World Series. Josh Beckett gets the Game 1 start. Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka will go the next two games.
Terry Francona did not yet name a Game 4 starter, though Jon Lester threw four simulated innings this afternoon, likely in anticipation of making that start in Colorado.
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Jacoby Ellsbury will start in centerfield in Game 1 in place of Coco Crisp. Terry Francona said, in his press availability, that the reason was Crisp's knee, which he banged catching the final out of the American League Championship Series.
Given how Games 2-4 went in the ALCS, we could have used Tavarez. If the WS is a high scoring affair, Tavarez will be valuable. The interesting thing is that the Rox are in love with Tavarez and demanded he be in the Helton trade proposal. Tavarez with his groundball command could be a surprise superstar for us in the Denver games.