MVN: Most Valuable Network

Once a week, you'll hear from numerous Red Sox bloggers on the Internet on a Red Sox related issue, and we'll aggregate the answers here. Answers are placed in the order they were received. Thanks to everyone for participating!

How will Josh Beckett's move back to Game 3 starter affect the team? (Tell us in the comments your opinion!)

"I'm actually not that concerned, believe it or not. Jon Lester has shown that he is a big game pitcher, so I'm not worried on that end. The only concern I have is the loss of Beckett for a clinching Game 5, Lester too. The ball will go to (gulp) Dice-K..." --- Evan Brunell, Fire Brand of the American League

"The Red Sox will miss the postseason dominance of Josh Beckett in the away games. Lester and Matsuzaka are more than capable of starting games in Anaheim but I'd rather see Lester and Beckett twice in a 5 game series rather than Lester and Matsuzaka twice." --- Michael Christopher, ">Sox Addict

"Obviously, you want Beckett starting twice, but the best two pitchers still alive in the American League now are Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka. All the Sox need to do --- and all they've ever needed to do --- is split the first two games in Anaheim. The chances of doing that with Lester and Matsuzaka are not really any worse than the chances of doing it with Beckett and Lester. Another consideration is how much faith we have in Beckett's being able to turn into Postseason Beckett after a whole season of struggling to put it together. Matsuzaka may be frustrating, but he's been consistently good all year long and, unlike last postseason, shows no signs of slowing down. In short, I don't see this affecting the team much, if at all, for the frist round. If they advance and Beckett still isn't right, however, you start looking at a soft back end of the rotation that could cost the Sox in the longer series."--- Paul SF, YFSF

I may be eating crow when this posts on Thursday, but the I think Beckett's injury will hurt us because Jon Lester will be forced to start Game 1 on the road (5-5, 4.09), rather than start Game 3 at Fenway (11-1, 2.49). When Beckett was cruising, it looked like the stars were aligned for another Halos sweep, but this changed everything... Bottom Line: Hopefully we split in LA and take 2 at Fenway behind a healthy Beckett, but if those goes to 5 games... I don't care what the numbers say, I don't feel good about Dice-K in a do or die match-up with the Angels. --- Bottom Line Rob, The Bottom Line

"The issue is not moving Beckett back, it is how healthy will Beckett be when he pitches. Josh Beckett was able to bounce back nicely after the numbness in the arm issue; if he can go in game 3 the Sox should be in good shape. Lester was lights out in his last start and has some good postseason experience. He is a much better pitcher than a less than 100% Beckett. Two starts from Lester is not a big dropoff from two starts from a healthy Beckett. I think the team has confidence in their 4 starters, if you include Wake, and believes that each will put them in a position to win in October if they can get the sticks going." --- Matt O'DonnellFenway West