While he was with the team, Victor Martinez was never known as a defensive catcher. He could stop the ball well enough, but for the most part, Jason Varitek was the backstop, the captain, the pitcher's catcher. Josh Beckett in particular was never one to go to the mound without his favorite batterymate behind the plate.
That made it all the more striking that it was always Victor Martinez starting at catcher when Clay Buchholz was on the mound. It wasn't just a matter of getting Victor's bat in the order--it was all about having him behind the plate. Which makes it all the more surprising that Jason Varitek is in line to catch Clay Tuesday instead of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
The question is: is this a matter of not having Salty behind the plate, or is it about giving Jason Varitek a shot against a left-handed pitcher?
Here are the full lineups for Tuesday's game:
RED SOX:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Jed Lowrie, SS
7. J.D. Drew, RF
8. Carl Crawford, LF
9. Jason Varitek, C
ORIOLES:
1. Brian Roberts, 2B
2. Nick Markakis, RF
3. Derrek Lee, 1B
4. Vlad Guerrero, DH
5. Luke Scott, LF
6. Adam Jones, CF
7. Mark Reynolds, 3B
8. Matt Wieters, C
9. Robert Andino, SS