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Red Sox journal: Schilling to start Monday night »
August 5, 2007
SEATTLE – After going 13 months between wins at Safeco Field, the Red Sox yesterday managed their second win in less than 24 hours.
The secret? Nothing more complicated than strong starting pitching, a foundation for the team’s success all season in building the best record in the major leagues.
The day after Daisuke Matsuzaka limited the Mariners to two solo homers in seven innings, Josh Beckett was just as impressive yesterday, checking the Seattle Mariners on a single run over 6 2/3 innings, directing them to a comfortable 9-2 win.
The victory was Becektt’s 14th of the season, making him just the second American League starter to reach that figure this season. Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia is the only other A.L. starter to have hit that plateau.
``I thought his stuff was real good,’’ said manager Terry Francona. ``When he got into pitcher’s counts, he was throwing a lot of fastballs down (in the strike zone) and put it in the back of (the Seattle hitters’) heads. It gave them another pitch to think about (beside his curveball).’’
Beckett has been superb on the road this season, improving to 7-1 with a 1.59 ERA in eight outings this year. As the Sox rebound from their mid-season hiccup, they have their entire starting rotation to thanks.
Over the last 16 games, during which the Sox are 12-4, their starters are 9-3 with a 3.59 ERA.
As a staff, Boston’s starting pitchers lead the majors in wins (56) and strikeouts (537), and quality starts are the rule rather than the exception.
Beckett was strong from the beginning yesterday, striking out two in the first, three more in the second and another two in the third, finishing with nine for the afternoon.
He stranded two in the first, didn’t allow a leadoff walk in the second to advance and bailed out of a first-and-second, one-out jam in the third to keep the Mariners off the scoreboard as the Sox offense worked away against Seattle starter Miguel Batista.
He got some help from an alert Julio Lugo, who initiated a pickoff try in the fourth that cut off what could have been a big inning.
Raul Ibanez was on second thanks to a leadoff single and a two-out single from Yuniesky Betancort.. Noting that Ibanez was straying too far from the bag, Lugo put a play on, knifed behind the baserunner and drew the throw from Beckett.
Rally – and inning – over.
``It’s one of those deals we practice in spring training that we very rarely use,’’ said Beckett. ``That was all Lugo. He saw some daylight and got in behind (Ibanez) and then did a good job kind of blocking the bag.’’
The pickoff took some steam out of the Mariners’ attack. They managed a run off Beckett with three singles in the sixth, but by then, the Red Sox were tacking onto their lead.
As the staff’s nominal ace, Becket halted his own mini-losing streak (two straight losses), while extending the team’s momentum, giving them two wins in their first of three road series.
``That’s what we need to focus on from here on out – winning series,’’ said Beckett, whose ERA dipped to 3.31. ``If we can keep doing that, we don’t have to worry about anyone catching us.’’
Though the Sox stranded a staggering 13 runners on base, they had more than enough offense in support of Beckett. Every starter except Jason Varitek had at least one hit and eight different hitters knocked in at least one run.
Manny Ramirez had two RBI, giving him 27 since the All-Star break and David Ortiz added an RBI of his own.
``That gives us that one-two punch,’’ Francona said. ``We become a lot more dangerous when they get going. When they start swinging like that, even on days when we’re not scoring, we have a chance to get to (starters) and maybe get them out of there because of how those guys make pitchers work.’’
--SEAN McADAM
Posted by Corey Bourassa 
at 8:57 PM to McAdam
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