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Baseball Today: Tuesday, June 24 »
June 23, 2008
By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON _ It was slated as a pitchers’ duel. It was a pitchers’ duel.
The Sox’ Josh Beckett and the Diamondbacks’ Dan Haren painted masterpieces. The pair of right-handers entered lMonday night's interleague game at Fenway with matching 7-4 records. Haren was slightly better in the ERA department with a 3.26 compared to Beckett’s 3.87.
The clash was everything it was hyped up to be – and then some.
In the end, however, it was Haren who was a little bit better as Arizona barely defeated Boston, 2-1. Haren completely dominated and finished seven solid scoreless innings and allowed just two hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 98 pitches, 61 for strikes.
“I’ll tell you what, he can reach back for a fastball when he needs it and his off-speed stuff is so good, along with the deception he creates in his delivery, he really did a good job against us,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
Beckett was almost equally impressive with his eight-inning performance. He allowed only two runs – both in the seventh inning – on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. He threw 115 pitches, 75 for strikes.
“He’s tough,” said Beckett referring to Haren. “It don’t matter who he is pitching against. He throws the balls on the black pretty much the whole time with all of his pitches. That’s why he is regarded as one of the best.”
Both hurlers were bringing it from the start to thrill the 37,694 in attendance.
“Sometimes it’s better when we score nine,” said Beckett as Boston combined for only four hits. “It seems like we win a lot more of those games. It’s fun to sit over there when you’re pitching because you’re more locked than any other day when you’re not pitching. It’s fun to watch a guy work like that, obviously it’s a little more fun when you’re on the winning end.”
Beckett, making his 14th start of the season, allowed only three hits through the first six innings until he surrendered a pair of runs in the seventh as Arizona gained a 2-0 advantage.
Haren completely kept the Red Sox off balance all night. He retired the first six batters he faced before he allowed his first hit of the game to Sox’ Jason Varitek in the third inning. Varitek doubled to snap a 0-for-24 skid, the longest slump of his career. It went for naught, however, as he was left stranded.
The only other hit Haren allowed was a single in the seventh inning to Mike Lowell. Haren was done after seven full innings, but the Diamondbacks’ bullpen couldn’t keep the Boston bats quiet for long.
After Beckett retired the side in order in the top of the eighth, the Red Sox loaded the bases on Arizona reliever Tony Pena.
With one out, the right-hander walked Julio Lugo and surrendered back-to-back singles to Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia. J.D. Drew drove in Boston’s only run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field before Manny Ramirez lined out to third.
That ball was hit so hard it was as though he shot it out of a Civil War cannon. Fortunately, Diamondbacks’ third baseman Mark Reynolds was able to snare the scorching liner before it decapitated him.
“Manny’s at-bat was a great at-bat,” said Francona. “You’ve got a guy throwing 97 and Manny hit a ball about as hard as you can hit it. He almost hit it through the third baseman. It was disappointing it was an out, but not disappointing in his approach.”
Pena was out of his jam, but Boston’s deficit was cut to one, 2-1.
Another reason Beckett’s eight-inning performance was key for Boston was due to its overly taxed bullpen, which had worked a total of 13 innings on Saturday and Sunday. So, Red Sox reliever David Aardsma was given the ball in the top of the ninth.
The hard-throwing right-hander loaded the bases, including a single, walk, sacrifice bunt and intentional walk. With one out, Aardsma struck out back-to-back hitters, both on 97 MPH fastballs to end the threat.
"He's always had the arm and there's a lot to like," said Francona. "Now he's starting to throw the ball where he wants to a little bit more. We're seeing some pretty good results."
Former Red Sox reliever and Diamondbacks closer Brandon Lyon retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to hold on to the win.
The only thing missing in this pitchers’ standoff was the Old Western music playing in the background as Beckett and the Red Sox lay on the ground with Haren and the Diamondbacks standing over with a smoking gun – Haren’s right arm.
“That was a good one,” said Francona of the pitchers’ performances. “Beckett was outstanding, also. That was two really good pitchers.”
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