"No one wants to see anyone be sick, but it probably was not the worst thing Josh Beckett's flu lasted a little longer than expected.

Rather than pitch tomorrow night in Pittsburgh as originally scheduled, Beckett will pitch the opener of the three-game series in Philadelphia. No knock against the Pirates, who are not their usual pushover selves this season, but the series with the Phillies features the two best teams in their respective leagues and the Red Sox will want their best on the mound.

The rotation against Pittsburgh will be Jon Lester [stats] tonight, Tim Wakefield (originally scheduled for Sunday) tomorrow and Andrew Miller in Sunday's finale.

For the Phillies series, the off day Monday means the Sox will have choices for who follows Beckett in the opener. If Lester and Wakefield stay on regular rest, they could pitch in the last two games of that series. Or, if the Sox want to give Lester one more day of rest, he could pitch the third game, and the club could go with Alfredo Aceves or John Lackey."