Three starts ago, Josh Beckett was booed off the mound at Fenway Park and people were questioning his commitment to the Boston Red Sox given his comments after that start.
He responded in his next start by throwing seven shutout innings. But one start does not mean things were completely better. I think after his latest start, we don’t need to question Beckett about anything anymore.
Beckett came out yesterday and threw seven more scoreless innings before being touched up for a run in the 8th. But with the Red Sox enjoying the lead, the bullpen finished off the 5-1 win to give the Red Sox their eighth win in their last 10 games. More importantly, they moved back to within one game of the .500 mark at 20-21.
Why people are still asking about Beckett’s velocity is beyond me. He’s not 21 anymore and throwing gas like he used to be. He’s now consistently in the 91-94 MPH range and when he had a changeup and nasty curveball yesterday, it really shouldn’t matter how fast he throws.
Beckett was efficient as well. Of course when you have good command and location on your pitches, it helps in that as well.
Look you don’t have to like Beckett at all. I know there are some people out there who don’t like the way he carries himself with his arrogance or cockiness. That really shouldn’t matter as long as he goes out and does his job each time.
Beckett also went 1-for-3 at the plate and that one hit was a 400 foot single that narrowly missed being a home run by a foot or two.
For the second straight day, Mike Aviles helped the Red Sox get out in front as he led off the game with another home run. He added another RBI in the 2nd with a single.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia may want to get knocked in the head more often. For the second straight game, he hit another home run. This time, it was a very long three-run homer. He has been on a pretty good streak recently and Bobby Valentine has been riding him so to speak.
It’s rare to see a catcher catch a day game after a night game in this day and age. And with Salty being injured on Friday night, it was also quite surprising. But when a player is hitting the ball like Salty, you have to continue to use him. Oh, and it was also the second straight start that he has caught Beckett, both of which have gone pretty well.
The Red Sox are off to Baltimore now to take on the first place Orioles. A sweep would go a long way to continue the turnaround but I think everyone would be happy with two of three. Hopefully Clay Buchholz can continue his good pitching and keep the good times rolling.
We’ll be back later on today with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
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Beckett brilliant for Sox [Boston Globe]
Bird watching next for together team [Boston Globe]
Don’t expect Matsuzaka soon [Boston Globe]
Josh Beckett superb in Sox win [Boston Herald]
Sizzling Sox catcher rates as AL’s best [Boston Herald]
Orioles still perched in 1st [Boston Herald]
Aviles provides pop atop order [Boston Herald]
Red Sox keep Cliff Lee on the skids [Boston Herald]
An inside look: Living through 12 pitches with Adrian Gonzalez [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
Beckett again spectacular in win over Phils, 5-1 [CSN New England]
Aviles, Saltalamacchia stay hot in Philadelphia [CSN New England]
Beckett dominates in second straight outing [CSN New England]
Injury notes: Youkilis set to return; Matsuzaka suffers setback [CSN New England]
Felger to Ortiz: ‘Bravo!’ [CSN New England]
Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 5, Phillies 1 [ESPN Boston]
Aviles credits Ortiz for calling team meeting [ESPN Boston]
Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka’s rehab on hold with strained trapezius [ESPN Boston]
Boston Red Sox rotation central to team’s turnaround [ESPN Boston]
Video: Cafardo’s analysis of Sox-Phillies [Extra Bases]
Nuggetpalooza: Stats notes from a very positive Red Sox weekend [Full Count]
David Ortiz Shows Passion, Leadership by Organizing Team Meeting in Red Sox Clubhouse [NESN.com]
Josh Beckett ‘Wanted It Badly,’ Helps Red Sox Find Their Fire Again [NESN.com]
Mike Aviles Shrugs Off His Own Home Runs But Notes Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s Hot Hitting (Video) [NESN.com]
Josh Beckett Says He ‘Just Swings in One Spot’ When Batting, Credits Defense in Win (Video) [NESN.com]
Carl Crawford Says He’s ‘Closer,’ Itching to Get Back to Red Sox (Video) [NESN.com]
Is Jonathan Papelbon the Most Reliable Closer in the Major Leagues? [NESN.com]
Bobby Valentine’s Fire Over Weekend Something Red Sox Fans Can Relate to, Appreciate [NESN.com]
Youkilis may rejoin Red Sox on Tuesday [RedSox.com]
Dice-K won’t make next rehab start Tuesday [RedSox.com]
Adrian, Papi both in lineup; Sweeney, Ross sit [RedSox.com]
Aviles makes it two leadoff homers in two days [RedSox.com]
Third Run to Home Base held at Fenway [RedSox.com]
Swinging hot bat, Salty catches Beckett [RedSox.com]
Drama aside, Red Sox should be contenders [RedSox.com]
Beckett, Salty team up for series win over Phils [RedSox.com]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer websites. You can also check out out Bloguin brother Macho Row.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
photo credit: AP Photo
