Before he took to the mound on Sunday afternoon in front of his family and friends, Josh Beckett found out that he was one of the four representatives from the Boston Red Sox for the 2011 MLB All-Star Game next week. And after his masterful performance in the eventual 2-1 win by the Red Sox over the Houston Astros, you could see why Beckett was named to the All-Star Team.
All season long whenever Beckett has taken to the mound, he’s been the victim of not enough run support. That was also the case on Sunday afternoon as the Red Sox offense left the population of his hometown, Spring, TX, on the basepaths. That didn’t seem to matter to Beckett though.
It was his curveball that got the job done for him. Of his 11 strikeouts on the afternoon, Beckett got four of them with the curve. In his last start, he all but stayed away from it. This time though, it was working for him. Of course when he had pinpoint control and command of his fastball, it made the curve all the better.
You could definitely see on Sunday that the effects of the flu that slowed him down a few weeks ago and in his last start against the Philadelphia Phillies were definitely gone. He looked the like Beckett that we’ve seen all season long. Dominant and in complete control.
What was ironic about the game was how the Red Sox won it. In the past two games against the Astros, they put up 17 runs on 21 hits. On Sunday, they managed six hits and two runs. The funny thing about it all was the runs scored on an error and a bases loaded walk.
The Red Sox got just three hits off of Astros rookie Jordan Lyles. But Lyles struggled with his command and walked five. But the Red Sox weren’t able to capitalize on his ineffectiveness as much as they probably should have.
They loaded the bases in the 3rd inning only to have Adrian Gonzalez fly out to end the threat. They would load up the bases again in the 4th inning and only came out of it with one run on Brett Wallace‘s throwing error trying to get Kevin Youkilis at the plate.
And in the 9th, they loaded up the bases again against the Astros closer Mark Melancon.
After Jason Varitek grounded out, Drew Sutton pinch-hit for Beckett and walked. He would go to second on a Jacoby Ellsbury single. Melancon got the second out of the inning when Dustin Pedroia grounded into a fielder’s choice that retired Ellsbury at second base.
Rather than pitch to Gonzalez, the MLB RBI leader, Astros manager Brad Mills elected to intentionally walk him to face Youk. It turned out to be a mistake as Melancon had trouble locating the strike zone and walked Youk to force in the game winning run.
Jonathan Papelbon made sure that Beckett would notch his seventh win of 2011 when he struck out the first batters he faced. He then worked around a two-out single by striking out Chris Johnson, the son of Red Sox first base coach Ron Johnson to end the game.
Papelbon’s fastball was electric as it had good life on it. He also made great use of a nasty slider.
The Red Sox finish up interleague at 10-8 after the sweep of the Astros. I’m sure they’re happy to have it behind them as well. I Know I am. At least now we won’t have to worry about whether or not David Ortiz is in the lineup. I’m pretty sure he’ll be there just about the rest of the way.
We’ll be back in a short while with this afternoon’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and any links from the morning. But for now, enjoy the overnight links by clicking on the read more button below.
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Brilliant outing [Boston Globe]
Pitching for more shutouts when picking teams [Boston Globe]
Ortiz wields his power [Boston Globe]
Four Sox join AL squad [Boston Globe]
Feeling Josh-tified [Boston Herald]
Ells makes Star trek [Boston Herald]
Youkilis walks with pride [Boston Herald]
Papi, Gonzo on power trip [Boston Herald]
No Sox snubbed [Boston Herald]
Red Sox sweep Astros, 2-1 [CSNNE.com]
Interleague play (and talk) finally over [CSNNE.com]
Notes: Red Sox still not scoring for Beckett [CSNNE.com]
Rapid Reaction: Sox 2, Astros 1 [ESPN Boston]
Mills walked fine line — and lost [ESPN Boston]
Josh Beckett limits Houston Astros after landing All-Star spot [ESPN Boston]
Beckett’s dominance by the numbers [ESPN Boston]
Closing Time: Josh Beckett returns to form as Red Sox outlast Astros [Full Count]
Video: Josh Beckett Says All-Star Selection Is Special, Surprised More Red Sox Weren’t Chosen [NESN.com]
Josh Beckett Returns to Form in Homecoming, Dominates Astros in Interleague Finale [NESN.com]
Video: David Ortiz Says All-Star Experience Is Fun, Offers Chance to Get to Know Other Players [NESN.com]
Bases-loaded walk helps Red Sox complete sweep of Astros [Providence Journal]
First half of season has been a complete turnaround for Jacoby Ellsbury [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Some deserving Sox won’t be making trip to All-Star Game [Providence Journal]
Brentz continues home run tear at Class A [RedSox.com]
June Players of the Month: Miles Head & Kyle Weiland [SoxProspects.com]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy news, you can head over to the Houston Chronicle website. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Breathing Orange Fire.
Photo credit: AP Photo
