I'm sure you understand what tonight means to this team. This is a huge, huge huge game. The entire team is defeated, deflated, and broken. For Lackey to come out tonight, facing Cano, Grandy, Tex, Swisher, Montero, and give the Sox the first quality start in what seems like months is a big deal.
What are the options? Wakefield? Miller? Weiland? Francona has pretty much outright denied the possibility of a Aceves/Buchholz piggyback start, so who else would you trust in a big spot? All the options suck, so why not give it to the guy who completely changed the momentum tonight and potentially saved the season?