It’s amazing that 5 short days ago the Sox seemed to be in shambles and it seemed like everyone and their brother wanted Josh Beckett run out of town. The past 4 starting pitchers have put in quality starts and if anyone needed to follow suit, it was definitely Beckett. On his 32nd birthday, Beckett did just that. He seemed to quell the trade/release talk, at least for now.
Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images
Beckett was a strikeout machine on the mound today. He struck out 9 batters in 7 innings of work. Beckett was also caught by Jarrod Saltalamacchia for the first time this season and so far, so good. Beckett didn’t give up a hit until the 4th inning when he gave up a single to Suzuki. In the 6th, Beckett gave up another single to Suzuki, he stole 2nd and 3rd, but Beckett kept him right there and retired Seager to end the inning. The Mariners seemed to be making better contact against Beckett in the 7th, however that contact was turning into outs. Beckett left the 7th with a 4-0 lead and was done for the night. Beckett’s line for the night was 93 pitches, 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 Ks. Beckett’s ERA is now sitting at 4.97. That was just the kind of outing we needed from Beckett. Hill came out in relief of Beckett in the 8th and had himself a nice 1-2-3 inning. Aceves came out for the 9th even though it was a non-save situation. Aces had a 1-2-3 inning with a K to snag the win for the Sox.
The Sox got on the board in the 3rd with a solo HR from David Ortiz. He is just continuing to kill the ball. In the 4th, the Sox added two more runs with a Aviles RBI double and a Sweeney sac grounder. Sox 3-0. In the 5th, the Sox added one more run with a Middlebrooks RBI single. Sox 4-0. In the 8th, the Sox added their final run with another Mike Aviles RBI double. Sox 5-0. Daniel Nava continued to show himself off well since being called up. He went 1 for 3 with a HBP. Nava currently has a .533 batting average. Not too shabby kid.
Happy Birthday Josh Beckett! Thanks for giving us a dominant performance and an easy peasy win for your birthday!
Red Sox 5 Mariners 0 BOXSCORE
WP: Beckett (3-4) LP: Beavan (1-4)
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