Scuffling Varitek catches a few boos

He is the Red Sox' all-time leader in postseason games played (60), including 44 consecutive appearances since sitting out Game 1 of the 2003 American League Championship Series. But one can't help but wonder if Jason Varitek's appearance streak could be ending sooner than later, and it has little to do with the fact that knuckleballer Tim Wakefield is slated to pitch tonight.

Varitek is 0 for the ALCS, having gone hitless in 10 official at-bats with two walks. Last night he struggled to put the ball in play (striking out in the second, fouling to first base in the fourth, and grounding weakly to second in the ninth), and is now batting a mere .125 (3 for 24) in the postseason.

To be fair, much of the Sox' lineup has struggled, particularly last night when Rays starter Matt Garza worked six-plus innings, giving up one run on six hits in a 9-1 triumph in Game 3 of the ALCS. The Rays lead the best-of-seven series, two games to one.

Whether directed at him, or the team as a whole, Fenway fans booed following Varitek's foul out to end the fourth inning. Asked about his personal struggles, Varitek only talked in generalities.

"We're still in this, period," said Varitek. "We haven't swung the bats extremely well, but give their pitchers a little credit."

Varitek's inability to produce offensively led manager Terry Francona to pinch hit for him in the ninth inning of Game 2. It wasn't the first time Varitek has been lifted this postseason.

What's more, he struggled on defense at times last night. Varitek couldn't squeeze a foul tip by Evan Longoria that should have been the first out of the second inning. Instead, Longoria walked and - after Willy Aybar singled - advanced to third on a passed ball. Dioner Navarro produced a ground ball to the right side, bringing home Longoria with the first run of the game.

Despite Varitek's struggles, the locker room remains firmly behind the captain, particularly the younger players.

"He's the heart and soul of this team," said rookie infielder Jed Lowrie. "He manages our pitching staff and he's more prepared for every game than anyone else on this team, particularly as far as knowing the opposing hitters and making the right decisions behind the plate.

"It doesn't need to be said that he's struggling offensively. He knows what's going on and he's trying to battle through it."

Varitek's leadership has allowed the Sox to look past his dismal offensive numbers in 2008. He hit .220 this year, the worst offensive season of his career, with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs.

But the pitching staff contends you can't put a statistic on what he does behind the plate.

"He's got such knowledge of the game; he studies the hitters and brings so much to the table," said rookie reliever Justin Masterson. "I know he's not happy with how he's done offensively the whole year, but he is a tremendous part of the pitchers' success . . . he's huge for us."

Varitek did score Boston's only run of the game. He drew a leadoff walk in the seventh, advanced to third on a single by Alex Cora, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacoby Ellsbury.

Varitek also showcased some of his trademark defense in the eighth by enduring a home-plate collision with Carl Crawford, who was erased on a fielder's choice grounder to second base. Varitek had to go low for the throw from Dustin Pedroia but withstood a two-handed shove to the head to register an out that temporarily kept the Rays' lead at 5-1.

Varitek said his neck is sore, but said he will be ready if called upon tonight. It's likely Kevin Cash will get the start with Wakefield throwing.

Varitek remains the Sox' leader in postseason at-bats (217) and is second in runs (36) and hits (53). With his next hit, he'll surpass Manny Ramírez as the team's all-time leader in that category.

But when will that hit come? Teammates don't seem concerned.

"He's one of the hardest workers," said Lowrie. "He shows up every day, almost tries to a fault to work through this. He's trying hard to get out of this."

Chris Forsberg can be reached at cforsberg@boston.com.