Red Sox starting five lined up to thrive

For a group that has faced itsshare of criticism, the five members of the Red Sox [ team stats ] starting rotationcarry some pretty impressive resumes. Jon Lester looks like he could win a Cy Young Award beforehis career is through, with anAll-Star berth, no-hitter, and 19-win season already underhis belt. John Lackey started and won Game 7 of the 2002 World Series for the Angels as a rookie. Since 2004 he has won more games (97) than all but seven pitchers. Clay Buchholz built off an outstanding second half in 2009 to make his first All-Star appearance last year.Had he not injured a hamstring running the bases,he might have been able to put himself in a position to win the Cy Young Award. Fourth starter Josh Beckett [ stats ] is merely one of the best big-game pitchers of this generation, even if he is coming off a horrible 2010. He has dominated two postseasons, taking World Series MVP honors as a 23-year-old with the Marlins in 2003, and then basically carrying the Red Sox to the 2007 title. In the fifth spot, the Sox have Daisuke Matsuzaka [ stats ] , the subject of one of the most intense bidding wars inbaseball history. The two-time World Baseball Classic MVP won 15 games asa rookie and then added another victory in the World Series. He followed that up with an 18-win 2008, and even if his results have been inconsistent since, he is nonetheless one of the best fifth starters in the game. Oh, and let’s not forget the sixth starter, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield [ stats ] . He’s won more games in his career than any other active pitcher. “We’ve got five guys here who could have started Opening Day,” said Lester, who’ll get the nod tomorrow in Texas. “I really can’t describe it any other way other than to say it’s an honor. At the same time, if any of the other four guys got it, it wouldn’t have hurt my feelings. The talent and experience we have in this rotation, flip a coin. Anybody is worthy.” The Sox have had great rotations in the past, but they were typically top-heavy. Think Curt Schilling [ stats ] and Pedro Martinez in 2004, or Roger Clemens and Bruce Hurst in the late ’80s. Their supporting casts were solid, but unspectacular. If this group pitches like it can, however, it would be strong from 1-5. That would separate it from virtually every other rotation in team history, particularly when viewed relative to its era; the 1903 squad only fielded six pitchers all season, for instance. “We can be as good as anyone, for sure,” Lackey said. “We’ve got guys with pretty good track records. If we perform up to our capabilities, it’s going to be pretty good.” Sox starters have been easy targets since struggling through an uneven 2010. While Lester and Buchholz were outstanding, Beckett was an unmitigated disaster,Lackey didn’t quite meet expectations, and Matsuzakawas a lost cause from almostthe moment he hurt his back early in spring training. There’s reason to think 2011 will be different, however. Lackey arrived at camp in the best shape of his career, down roughly 10 pounds. Beckett pitched poorly in FortMyers, but seemed encouraged by his stuff, which could bode well for theseason. Even Matsuzaka, often a punching bag, made a small adjustment to his offday routine that paid dividends during two consecutive excellent starts. “The most important thing, I think, for our pitching staff is starts and innings,” Lester said. “With the offense we have and the defense we have, if you outlast the other guy, you’re going to get a lot of wins. But this team, this organization isn’t built around what we do during the regular season. It’s built around what we do in the postseason. Everybody’s goalin that clubhouse is to win the World Series this year, and everybody’s pretty excited about it.”