SARASOTA, Fla. — Jon Lester will be scratched from his scheduled start in Port St. Lucie on Sunday due to the flu. J.D. Drew is also suffering from the bug, which hit some guys earlier in camp as well.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona made the announcement Saturday morning to reporters at City of Palms Park, where the team was preparing to take on Florida. A second squad is up north taking on Baltimore in Ed Smith Stadium.
Lester was scheduled to face the New York Mets on Sunday. There is no immediate word on what his schedule will be going forward. The same goes for Drew, who has not played since earlier in the week.
At the very least, Lester avoids having to make a three-hour bus ride for his start. The Sox’ schedule has several home games or short bus trips after Sunday, so he will pitch closer to home once healthy.
In 2010, Josh Beckett was hit with the flu in the middle of March and also had to miss a start. When he returned he admitted to having to force the issue due to the fact that he needed to get innings in before the regular season began. Of course, the 2010 season was a disappointment for Beckett. Back issues were the primary culprit, but he was trying to catch up from very early on and it seemed to have an effect.
