Josh Beckett was his usual dominating self while Mike Lowell and Jason Bay continue to mash the ball as the Boston Red Sox went on to an 8-2 win last night over the Detroit Tigers.
The Red Sox still sit 5.5 games out of first place in the AL East and hold a 1.5 games lead over the Rangers and 4.5 games lead over the Rays in the wild card standings. After this afternoon’s game against the Tigers, the Red Sox do head to Arlington to take on the Rangers over the weekend.
If Beckett continues this pace for the rest of the season, he could very well be on his way to the Cy Young Award. Last night, he picked up his MLB-leading 14th win while allowing 2 runs over 7 innings on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 6. One thing to remember is that Beckett started out the season slowly but has been just about lights out since the end of the April.
It was the third straight win for the Red Sox over the Tigers this series and they still haven’t lost to them yet this season.
The resurgence of the Red Sox offense can be attributed to the bats of Bay and Lowell. Since returning to the lineup after his hamstring injury, Bay has hit 4 home runs while Lowell has had 3 homers in the past two games. Even though Lowell has the hip issue, Terry Francona needs to find a way to get his bat in the lineup on a more regular basis once Kevin Youkilis returns from suspension.
It’s definitely a lot easier to talk about the Red Sox when they are winning but given their play of late on the road, there is cause for concern. Hopefully a good game this afternoon carries over into the trip to Texas. That trip to Texas could change the way this season goes. But first, let’s take finish off the Tigers this afternoon.
And if you missed Jerry Remy back in the booth for a night last night, be sure to check out the video.
Links coming up after a 10-second pause for station ID on the Red Sox blogging network.
On the growl [Boston Globe]
Youkilis takes his medicine [Boston Globe]
This part of baseball full of beans [Boston Globe]
Remy on road to recovery [Boston Globe]
Hitting upon an interesting statistic [Boston Globe]
My Favorite Part of the Hall of Fame Induction [Ask 14]
Jason Bay is going streaking [Extra Bases]
Bay back in the swing of things [Full Count]
Please Don’t Take this the Wrong Way [Hit and Run With Dan Roche]
Beckett polishes Cy Young credentials [Providence Journal]
Lowell speaks softly, swings big stick [Providence Journal]
Red Sox journal: No apologies for pitching inside [Providence Journal]
Remy says he’s cancer-free, but is battling depression [Providence Journal]
Youkilis, Sox opt not to appeal five-game suspension [Providence Journal]
Ace in the whole [Tony Massarotti]
Five Things We Learned: The Red Sox Might Survive (For Now) Without Youkilis [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Bay hopes to sustain recent hot streak [RedSox.com]
Bats Back Beckett In Red Sox’s Win [Hartford Courant]
Youkilis Will Serve 5-Game Suspension [Hartford Courant]
Jerry Remy Back At Fenway, Just For A Visit [Hartford Courant]
Josh Beckett, bats easily tame Tigers [Boston Herald]
Emotional Jerry Remy reveals battle with depression [Boston Herald]
Mike Lowell sizzles in spot [Boston Herald]
Red-hot Jason Bay leads way [Boston Herald]
Kevin Youkilis stops fighting [Boston Herald]
John Smoltz’ Red Sox days done [Boston Herald]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if the enemy papers are more your flavor, you can check out the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press websites.
