Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew, who has been battling a back injury, was penciled in the starting lineup for last night’s game.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Terry Francona wasn’t prepared to say staff ace Josh Beckett — Boston’s postseason pitching hero in last year’s playoffs, when he was 4-0, with a minuscule 1.20 ERA in 30 innings — was a “lock” to start Game Three at Fenway Park on Sunday.

“I don’t think ‘lock’ is an appropriate word,” Francona said last night at his pregame news conference. “I don’t know if anybody is a ‘lock.’

“I’ll tell you what he did do (yesterday). He went out and threw his long toss. He got to 150 feet, and did pretty well. He has to answer some physical questions every step of the way, and today was a good one.”

Beckett would have started Game One in Anaheim, but was pushed back because of a strained oblique muscle.

“If everything goes OK,” Francona said, “he’ll throw his side session [today], but we reserve the right to make a change if we don’t think it’s in his best interest physically. He’s had a real good last couple days, and (yesterday) was another good day. Now, part of that is the evaluation of how he’ll respond later. Will he stiffen up? But so far, everything has been pretty positive.”

Timlin gets left out

When Francona decided to go with three catchers — Jason Varitek, Kevin Cash and David Ross — and only 10 pitchers in the ALDS, that meant veteran Mike Timlin was the odd man out.

“That was hard,” Francona said. “But I really wanted to carry three catchers. The third catcher lets us use our roster to best advantage. And if we need more than 10 pitchers with the days off we have, then we’re going to have some serious problems.”

Left unsaid was that Francona would now have the flexibility to pinch-hit for Varitek, who batted only .220 this season. Timlin, 42, has struggled this season, giving up 60 hits in 49 innings.

He has a record of 4-4, but an ERA of 5.66.

“We have to respect him for what he’s done,” Francona said of Timlin, “but we always do what we think is right for the ball club.”

More Papelbon

Among the differences between postseason play and regular-season games, Francona said, is a willingness to turn to closer Jonathan Papelbon a bit earlier than usual.

Saving the bullpen

In that context, Francona brought up Game Three of the ALCS in 2004, when the Yankees grabbed a 3-0 series lead by pounding the Sox in Fenway, 19-8. After Bronson Arroyo was shelled for six runs in two-plus innings, Francona turned to Ramiro Mendoza, Curtis Leskanic, Tim Wakefield, Alan Embree and Mike Myers. “Some people were upset after that game,” Francona recalled, “about how I used the bullpen. I never understood that, because I saved everybody. Whether we lost by thirteen or by seven, who cares?”

kmcnamar@projo.com