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Josh Beckett did not have a good outing, and the Sox' ace has had a horrible August. He has given up 12 home runs this month, and has not won a game. Tonight, he went five innings while giving up five runs in a no decision, escaping a loss thanks to Jason Bay. Nevertheless, Beckett's struggles are concerning. Josh does not seem to have an injury of any sort, as his velocity is still up at 95-96 MPH on his fastballs. He has not been locating the corners very well, often leaving cheese in the middle of the plate and as a result hitters have been whaling on his pitches. However, there are intermittent stretches where Beckett seems to regain his confidence, as he had nine strikeouts tonight. The Sox won 6-5, thanks hugely in part to Jason Bay, who pounded a two run shot over the Monster Seats to tie the game in the fifth inning. Casey Kotchman drove in the go-ahead run in the eight to give the Sox a lead they would not relinquish. Jason Varitek also contributed, as he made a huge defensive play. Tek was able to block Travis Snider's slide to home plate with his foot, giving himself time to receive the perfectly placed relay throw from Alex Gonzalez and eventually tag out Snider. Luckily for Beckett, August is over, and hopefully he'll be able to rebound. Hideki Okajima got the win. Return to Red Sox News |
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