Beckett hardly an ace for Red Sox in 2010
Far be it from the Red Sox, who once waited 86 years between championships, to give up on a strategy after two months. So even though it's pretty obvious that their new pitching and defense mode hasn't gotten off to such a hot start, they are insisting it all will fall into place.
At least, they believe that is how it will happen for their ace, Josh Beckett. The hope is that if he can get going, the rest of the team will follow. Beckett, having entered the game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night at 1-1 with an unsightly 7.46 ERA in seven starts, began fairly well but left because of tightness in his lower back. He was trailing 5-0 with two outs in the fifth on three earned and two unearned runs, bringing his ERA down slightly to 7.29, but still another setback for Boston's pitching, defense and star pitcher.
"For whatever reason, sometimes it doesn't work as quickly as you want it to. The last time he pitched against the Yankees, at the start of the game, he had as good or I'd say better stuff than we've probably seen him have in a long time. Then it got away in a hurry in the last inning. Hard to explain," Francona said, referring to the 10-3 loss May 7 in which Beckett allowed nine runs in 51/3 innings. After that, he missed a start because of back spasms.
"I do know that when we look at Beckett, we look past the numbers. When he takes the mound, we feel like we have one of the best," the manager said.
Entering Tuesday night, though, the results were among the worst. Beckett is the centerpiece of the new franchise philosophy. But the pitching has been poor and the defense hasn't been great, either. The Red Sox entered Tuesday night in third place, nine games out of first place and 61/2 behind the Yankees.
Francona pointed out that Beckett started slowly last year, too (3-2 record, 6.42 ERA through seven starts): "Then by the All-Star Game, you hear about him being on the All-Star team and Cy Young.
"There's a belief you have in guys like that that they have earned and they deserve. Even when they don't have their best stuff, you feel like they're going to find a way to win. That's the way we feel about Beckett."
The Red Sox will be in major trouble if Beckett isn't Beckett. They're not in such great shape now. "If you're asking if we're going to quit, no. Are we pleased with where we're at? No. We're getting tested a little bit," Francona said. "How we handle that will be huge."
Notes & quotes: Mike Lowell had been the designated hitter against lefthanded pitching, but he did not start Tuesday night against CC Sabathia. David Ortiz did. "He's that guy you still fear. He doesn't have to make really good contact and he can still hit the ball out of the park," Lowell said of Ortiz, adding that he has agonized about the fact that he doesn't seem to have a role. "It's painfully evident.
"Sometimes, you feel like the team might be better off if you're not on it."