Josh Beckett Talks About Last Night's Game

The Red Sox ace discusses win # 16 with reporters after last night's game.  Watch below:

Read more...

No Brooms Tonight

Josh Beckett went 8 full tonight, allowing 7 hits and 3 runs while striking out 7 Halos. That and 2 home runs, 1 each by Ellsbury and Bay, were not enough to sweep the Angels out of Boston. Tied 3-3 going into the top of the 9th, Billy Wagner suffered his 1st loss in a Sox uni by a combination of Angel's small ball (sac bunt in the 9th) and Howie Kendrick going 3/4, including a HR, 2 RBI's, and 2 runs scored. Victor Martinez was back in the line up and connected for another hit.

I don't know much about the Angel's 2nd baseman, except that he's 26 yo, has a .304 average spanning his 4 season in the bigs so far, and has played 1st base for Ellay before moving over 1 base.

Sox Lose 3-4 BOX SCORE

Read more...

Beckett Pitches Well in Red Sox Loss

It is safe to say that most Red Sox fans are not taking today's loss in Chicago too hard since Josh Beckett showed he can still pitch well. He went 7 innings and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and more importantly ZERO home runs. He did have one bad inning but rebounded nicely. Unfortunately the Red Sox could not get a timely hit and had a combined 16 runners LOB. Hopefully the Tribe can beat Texas again and the loss won't matter much. The Red Sox now head back to Boston to take on the O's.

Red Sox lose 5-1 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	0
White Sox	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	5	8	0

Read more...

Beckett Still Has Issues in Red Sox Loss

It was not as bad as some of his recent outings, but Josh Beckett struggled early in tonight's game. He gave up a homer in the first and another in the second and at the end of the third inning the Red Sox were down 4-1. He then settled in and looked good; no walks in the game with 9 strikeouts. The additional homers are a reason for concern though and there is still no clear answer for why the homerun numbers are way up.

The Red Sox offense fought back and tied the game 5-5 in the 8th but RR gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the inning before being yanked for MDC. Delcamen did not fare much better; he gave up a home run to Longoria.

Red Sox Lose 8-5 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox	0	1	0	2	0	0	1	1	0	5	6	1
Rays	1	3	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	8	12	0

Read more...

Gut Check Time

It is not a playoff game tonight at the Trop but when the game enters the 6th inning Red Sox fans will be resting easy or reaching for the panic button. If Josh Beckett returns to being the dominant pitcher he was a month ago then the Nation will know that they will have a team that can travel far into the month of October with a solid rotation and and offense that can produce. If Beckett struggles again then the Red Sox will have a serious issue on their hands without much time to find an answer. A third bad outing in a row for Beckett would signal some sort of injury or problem similar to what happened last year.

A win by the Red Sox would, for the most part, take the Rays out of wild-card contention and make it a two team race with the Rangers. It should be fun.

Read more...

Please Do Not Let the Rays Back in This

The Trop has been one nightmare after another for the Red Sox. Another collapse could let the Rays back in the wild-card race. The Rays players know how important this series is:

"I don't see how we can get to the playoffs without winning this series," Carl Crawford acknowledged. "Hopefully we can win the series — at least — and stay alive."

"We definitely have to get two from them," B.J. Upton said. "Three would be great. We definitely have to win the series."

On paper the pitching matchups favor the Red Sox who have Lester, Beckett, and Buchholz throwing in the series. But Lester is 0-2 with an ERA over 8 in three starts against the Rays this year and Beckett is 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA against them.

This series should tell us if the Red Sox are a team that can win pressure games and it will tell us if Beckett is OK. The Red Sox can have sweet dreams if they win the series, if not the Trop nightmare will only become scarier.

Read more...

Is Fatigue Setting in For Josh Beckett?

Josh Beckett is on a pace to pitch more innings than he ever has in his baseball career. Blisters and oblique injuries have sidelined him in the past but he has managed to stay healthy this season. He has given up more home runs (12) in his last four starts than the previous twenty two starts (10) and his velocity was off by a few mph on the gun last night. With Dice-K coming back soon and the possible arrival of Paul Byrd the Red Sox may have the ability to reduce Beckett's workload, but that is assuming that Tazawa can work things out. With such a close pennant chase the Red Sox must decide if they use Beckett cautiously or continue to throw him out there and hope that things will work themselves out.

Read more...

OK, Beckett is scaring me now, but Sox still win

This is his 3rd $#!+ start in a row! He’s looking like last year’s model that went 12-10, with a 4.03 ERA, not the robo-hurler who was mowing down the AL for most of the 2009 campaign. Is he hiding an injury? Is he tipping his pitches? What? Anyone? Bueller? Beckett’s line tonight: 5 innings, 5 hits (2 were round-trippers), 5 runs, 5 earned runs, 5 walks; all this despite striking out 9 Jays. He was saved however, by Jason Bay’s 29th HR of the season, which tied up the game by the end of the 5th inning. Casey Kotchman pinch hit for A-Gonz in the 8th inning, grounded out, but drove in the game winning run. Tonight’s bullpen crew of Saito, Bard, Okajima, and Papelbon throttled the Jays for the remainder of the game.

Sox Win 6-5 BOX SCORE

Read more...

WTF is goin' on with the Sox these days?

Just last night it appeared that all was well with the Sox. They had just swept Toronto, and bounced back from a 20-11 ass whoopin' from the Yanks last night with a thoroughly convincing 14-1 woodshed session. But Commander Kick Ass Beckett is looking more like Gilligan these days as the Yanks launched 5 long balls off of him tonight. Yet he somehow outlasted Sabathia, in number of innings that is, as Sabathia was pulled after 6.2 IP and 118 pitches, while Beckett finished 8 IP and threw 120 pitches. He scattered 9 hits, but since 5 of them left the yard, that left the Sox on the short end of a 8-4 evening. It started off ominously, as Jeter put one out with the very first pitch of the game. The Yanks scored in each of the first 5 frames when it finally looked like Beckett was settling into a groove, tossing a scoreless 6th and 7th innings, sitting 8 Yankees down in a row. The Sox were only down by 3 at that point, and that means nothing in a Red Sox-Yankees game, but a 3 run deficit became a 4 run deficit in the 8th when Matsui hit his 2nd HR of the night.

The 5 HR's allowed by Beckett in one game is a new low for him. In his last 2 starts/13.1 IP, he's allowed 15 ER's; and in his last 3 starts he's allowed 10 HR's. He denied that working with new catcher Martinez for the 1st time had anything to do with his previous loss, Varitek was catching again tonight. So what is wrong with Beckett and the Sox these days? They had better figure all this out and fast, too. September is right around the corner.

Sox Lose 4-8 BOX SCORE

Read more...

Josh Beckett vs Tom Brady

Who would you rather watch at the top of their game? That is the challenge I am taking part in for today's Daily Duel against Rich Levine from CSNNE.com. (of course I am choosing Beckett) I know all of you would much rather watch baseball than football and some of you hate the Patriots so help my out by going here and giving me your vote.

Read more...

Beckett, Lowell and Bay Put Red Sox in the Driver's Seat

Josh Beckett earned his league leading 14th win with a great effort. He pitched 7 innings and gave up just 3 hits and 2 runs. Mike Lowell and Jason Bay continued to fuel the resurgent offense with a home run and three hits apiece. The Red Sox had an early lead and when the Tigers got on the board, the Sox responded with a 5-run inning.

Jerry Remy joined the NESN crew in the second inning and thanked fans for their support. He blamed his absence on poor health following his surgery which led to an infection. He also said he had been suffering from depression and joked that the doctor said he could not watch games on NESN becasue Don Orsillio would lead to more depression.

Red Sox Win 8-2 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tigers	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	3	1
Red Sox	0	1	2	0	5	0	0	0	0	8	11	0

Read more...

NYC...here I come!

Hi, my name is Shelley and I am a Soxaholic.

A losing streak will not waver my status.

John Smoltz forgetting how to pitch like an All Star will not waver my status.

The Yankees finally winning ONE against us will not waver my status.

Our bats not hitting...and Papi looking all kinds of slumptastic again will not waver my status.

All our guys being hurt and banged up...so much so that Youk had to play LEFT FIELD...will not waver my status.

And now...I am not SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON....

I am heading DOWN TO EVIL.

My friend and I are heading down to NYC for game tonight. I am going to be in the stands...with JOSHUA PATRICK BECKETT on the mound. To say I am excited is the understatement of the world. I am...going with a friend...who is...a Yankees fan. We will have a good time...and at least one of will enjoy the outcome of the game.

But seriously....SOX...BECKS...I am driving into NYC...and I HATE DRIVING INTO NYC....so, if you could win this one for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Let's GO RED SOX...and get that winning streak started again.

Read more...

BecKKKKKKKKKKet!

Josh Beckett brought the goods tonight as the Red Sox easily defeated the A's. The ace of the staff went 7 innings giving up 3 runs while striking out 10. The offense came out of its slumber to put up 8 runs on 14 hits. Ells, Pedey(HR in the 1st), LaRoche and Drew each had a multiple hit game. Every starter had a hit in the game. The pressure of the trade deadline approaching as well as the sight of Lowell sitting on the bench may have been the fire the team needed.

Red Sox Win 8-3 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	3	9	0
Red Sox	1	0	1	3	1	0	2	0	0	8	14	1

Read more...

Where are they now: Mike Timlin

The Denver Post reports that Mike Timlin, who filed for free agency at the end of 2008 ending his mostly succesful 6 year stint in Boston, has been working out and throwing bullpen sessions at Coors Field after the Rockies bullpen had some recent troubles. GM Dan O'Dowd invited Timlin and may be offering him a minor league contract soon.

Although he was primarily a middle reliever and set up man, Timlin amassed 27 saves while with Boston, and was a reliable rock in the Sox bullpen for most of his 6 years there. In 2005, he notched a 7-3 W-L record, with a 2.24 ERA. He made 81 appearances and racked up 13 saves. His numbers fell off in 2006, causing many to speculate that his career might be near it's end. However, he rebounded in 2007 with a 2-1 record and a 3.42 ERA in 50 appearances. His numbers fell again in 2008 and he filed for free agency at the end of that season.

Timlin, 43, indicated when he filed for free agency that he may just attempt a return in 2009 after taking a year off.

“Sometimes the time off helps," said Timlin, who stayed in shape by playing catch with former teammate Mike Myers and throwing batting practice for his son’s youth team. “God has given me the strength to do this. I believe I can still pitch at this level."

He remains good friends with Josh Beckett and the two go hunting together in the off season. He was also the leader of the Boston Bullpen Band. We wish him the best of luck in his attempt to return to the big leagues, especially with a team close to his home.

Read more...

Beckett's Complete Game Not Enough, Red Sox Fall to 2nd Place

Josh Beckett pitched a complete game giving up 4 runs on 7 hits but it was not enough to wake up the Red Sox slumbering bats. Ells, Drew, Bay, and Tek went a combined 0-13 in the game. Drew is now batting .127 in July. The 4 game losing streak along with the Yankees win streak has dropped Boston into 2nd place in the A.L. East.

The Red Sox had their top scout watching the tribe tonight; could they be interested in Cliff Lee? or possibly Martinez? Either way, the Red Sox need something to wake the team up.

Red Sox Lose 4-2 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	5	0
Rangers	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	4	7	0

Read more...

Beckett Talks About His 100th Win

Josh Beckett spoke with reporters after last night's shut out victory over the Kansas City Royals. Watch below:

Read more...

Beckett pitches a complete game shutout against Royals

The final game of the Red Sox homestand before heading into the All Star Break, Josh Beckett reminded all of Red Sox Nation and Major League Baseball why he is well deserving of a spot on the AL's All Star Team.



A game after the Red Sox used more of their bullpen than they would have liked (I'll looking at you Masterson and Delcarmen), the Red Sox really could have used their starter going late into the game. Josh Beckett gave them that and then some.

Beckett pitched a 94 pitch complete game shutout of the Royals to get a 6-0 win. It was a thing of sheer beauty to watch. He was a strike out machine in the first few innings and later flew through innings barely throwing any pitches at all. Josh was dealing, no doubt. This was also a career 100th victory for Josh Beckett bringing his 2009 record to 11-3.

"It's pretty memorable" to post his 100th win, Beckett said, "and the way I did it is cool."

Beckett (11-3) retired the first nine batters, five on strikeouts. It was his second shutout and complete game of the season following his 3-0 win over Atlanta on June 20. He finished with seven strikeouts and no walks.

After Aaron Bates got his first major league hit in last night's game, he picked up right where he left off. He went 3-4 in the game with an RBI. I wasn't too familiar with Bates before he was called up, but he sure is on my radar now.

Jason Bay was on base 5 times tonight, but none of them as a result of getting a hit. He was walked during his first 3 plate appearances and then reached with hit by pitch in his last two at bats. It took until his 4th at bat for the Royals pitchers to throw him one strike. It was an interesting and good day for Bay's OBP at least.

Sox WIN 6-0 BOX SCORE

In related AL East news today:

The Angels beat the New York Yankees 5-4 to complete a series sweep. That leaves the Yankees trailing the Red Sox by 3 games heading into the All Star Break.

The Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 to take that series 2-1. That leaves the Rays 6.5 back in the hunt for the AL East.

Ahh....SO GOOD...SO GOOD....SO GOOD!

Read more...

Tek, Beckett Deliver for Sox

While the Sox hitters didn't "feast" on A's pitchers, they did put up 5 runs on 9 hits.

Jason Varitek came through with a key hit, driving in 2 of the Sox runs.

Josh Beckett pitched well, giving up 2 ER in 6.2 innings and picking up his 10th win. Paps picked up the save (his 21st) by striking out the side in the 9th.

An expected, but nonetheless, solid win for the Sox.

Box

Read more...

Josh Beckett's All-Star Chances

After a slow start Josh Beckett has completely turned it around and is now looking like the best pitcher in the American League. In his last 4 starts he has an ERA of 1.88 with 29 strikeouts while only walking 4 batters. Opponents hit just .186 against him over that stretch.

But where does that put him when it comes to the All-Star team? Even with his great run of late he is 20th in ERA, tied for 5th in wins, and tied for 5th in strikeouts. He is on the bubble right now for making the team but has a good chance if he has a few more quality starts.

He is facing the Braves tonight and he had a complete game shutout against them last time he faced them so things are looking good for Beckett to be on the mound for the A.L. in St. Louis this July.

Read more...

Beckett Gets Things Right

Red Sox ace Josh Beckett showed that even with an injury to Dice-K, the team is going to be just fine. He pitched a complete game shutout giving up just 5 hits with no walks. The always productive Nick Green put the Sox on the board in the 5th with a double. The offense would get two more runs in the game off of Derek Lowe and that was all that was needed for an easy victory.

While this was a good win for the team there was one negative thing that stood out; Dustin Pedroia's lack of production at the lead-off spot. His average since he took over the top spot is now below the Mendoza line. Tonight he was 0-4.

Red Sox Win 3-0 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
Red Sox	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	3	7	0

Read more...