Guillen to Send Beckett Get-Well Card

I love quotes out of Chicago.

"I don't like to see anybody get hurt, but thank you, Josh.”

This was a pregame quote from White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen referring to Josh Beckett's having been scratched from the Friday night start. “They're going to miss him. I'd rather face anybody else than face him."

Is that so?

The answer to that question is up for debate being that Daisuke Matsuzaka was the “anybody else,”and gave a virtuoso performance. Allowing only two hits over eight innings he picked up his 16^th win for 2008 in the Red Sox 8–0 shutout of Chicago. With seven strike outs and only two walks, Dice-K's performance had Ozzie eating his words.

For their part, Boston's hitters continued their recent offensive production quotas. Their eight runs came courtesy of a three RBI night by both Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay, as well as some RBI from David Ortiz and the newest addition to the Red Sox, Mark Kotsay.

Mediocre pitching, especially from the bull pen has been tempered over the recent past by a ten game stretch where Boston has scored 61 runs, even with having been shut out in one of those matches.

Matsuzaka, now with a 16–2 record, has been the one stable spot in the Red Sox rotation all year. Already surpassing his win total for 2007, his 2.82 ERA is second in the American League for pitchers with ten wins or better.

While the tough competition for the AL Cy Young will almost assuredly leave Matsuzaka out of contention, there is no doubt that he is one of the main reasons that Boston still has a shot at the postseason.

Bay's three RBI night brings his season total up to 91 (tied with Manny Ramirez), including 27 (four more than Ramirez) since coming to the Red Sox from Pittsburgh.

Saturday night's match-up of Mark Buehrle (11–10, 3.86 ERA) against Michael Bowden (MLB Debut) is probably more of what Guillen was thinking when he smiled and thanked Josh Beckett.

Bowden was called up from AAA Pawtucket to fill in the empty roster spot. With 19 games at AA Portland and only seven in Pawtucket, he has a combined 9–7 record (including an 0–3 record at the AAA level.) He comes in with a ERA of only 2.91, a fastball the clocks as high as 95, and a reportedly hard breaking 12–6 curve. The task ahead of him is no small one, as the Red Sox look to assure a win in their fourth consecutive series.