Josh Beckett continued to live up to the four-year, $68 million deal given to him by the Boston Red Sox prior to the season.
Heaping sarcasm consumes that statement, as after his offense scored four runs in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead, the Red Sox's so-called ace promptly gave up six runs in the bottom of the inning to the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the fourth inning, it was more of the same. After Marco Scutaro scored on a wild pitch and a reborn Jason Varitek knocked two in with a single, Beckett walked the only two batters he faced in the bottom of the inning. He was relieved by Scott Atchison, who allowed those two runners to score on a two-out triple by former Red Sox Alex Gonzalez.
Beckett’s final line? Three-plus innings, nine hits, eight runs, and three walks, raising his ERA to 7.22.
After four innings, Boston was tied at eight, and with Dana Eveland’s early departure for Toronto, both teams were into their bullpens. This had the makings of an offensive shootout. The Red Sox haven’t been in many high-scoring games, and when they have, they have been on the short end. But this, for a change, was a different story. It was the Blue Jays that managed to pitch worse.
The two American League East teams exchanged runs in the fifth, both coming with two out as Kevin Youkilis drove in Dustin Pedroia and Adam Lind plated Fred Lewis.
Boston appeared to break it open in the sixth. Varitek and Adrian Beltre singled with one out to begin the threat, and then with two out, Darnell McDonald, who made a name for himself last week upon being called up, stroked a double down the left field line to score the go-ahead run.
Scutaro followed with an infield single to third, scoring Beltre, and then Pedroia rewarded both McDonald and Scutaro for their efforts, socking a double to left to drive them in and give Boston a 13-9 lead.
After Toronto tacked on a run in the bottom, Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima allowed three straight singles to begin the eighth. The tying run was at the plate for the Blue Jays, but though a second run would score to cut the margin to one, Okajima’s replacement Daniel Bard limited the damage by retiring all three batters he faced.
Closer Jonathan Papelbon had an equally simplistic outing, sending down Toronto in order in the ninth to give Boston a 13-12 win. It was just Boston’s fifth win in 13 chances at home, and it only improved their record to 9-11, where they stand 5.5 games back of Tampa Bay, but at least their offense showed some life.
The problem is, they needed all 13 runs, thanks in large part to the continued ineptness of Beckett and the bullpen.
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