Red Sox-Tigers: Beckett Terrific in 8-2 Win

For my money, the best pitcher in baseball this season has been Josh Beckett…and last night he again demonstrated why he is atop the short list of the best in the game.

The staff ace pitched seven solid innings in leading the Red Sox to an 8-2 win over the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers. He allowed two runs on three hits while issuing one walk. He struck out six. He allowed solo home runs to Carlos Guillen (fifth inning) and Marcus Thames (seventh inning), otherwise only a fourth-inning walk to Clete Thomas and Guillen’s seventh-inning single blemished his outing (Guillen was immediately erased on a double play).

The Sox took the lead on Mike Lowell’s lead off home run (No. 14) in the bottom of the second inning. An inning later, Jason Bay added a two-run bomb of his own (No. 24) to extend the lead to 3-zip.

Meanwhile, Becket had been cruising. He was dominant. He retired the first eleven Tigers hitters of the game and held the visitors hitless through four innings. You started to wonder if this might be the night he would throw a no-hitter. Then Guillen hit a leadoff home run in the fifth inning to end those hopes.

Tigers starter Zack Miner retired the first two Sox batters in the bottom of the fifth inning—and then the roof caved in on him and reliever Freddy Dolsi. Seven consecutive Red Sox reached base after two were out, the last of whom reached on a throwing error by 3B Brandon Inge. Five runs scored. First baseman Casey Kotchman, in the game due to Kevin Youkilis’ five-game suspension, chipped in with a key two-run single in the inning. A narrow 3-1 contest was now an 8-2 blowout. Thames' home run finished the scoring.

Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez pitched two hitless innings of relief to close out the game…but the story of the night was Beckett, who improved to 14-4 and lowered his ERA to 3.10. He had pitched 18 scoreless innings before Guillen’s homer in the fifth (he recorded consecutive seven-inning shutout efforts in his previous two starts).

Thames said of Beckett: "He was good. He was mixing his pitches up and had us off-balance. We could never get anything going. It was just one of those nights, he put it on us."

Bay has finally heated back up…he now has four home runs in his last five games.

The Sox will try for a four-game sweep on Thursday afternoon when Clay Buchholz faces Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

TV announcer Jerry Remy made his first appearance in the broadcast booth since taking an indefinite leave of absence following complications from cancer surgery. He was given a standing ovation when he was shown on the center field scoreboard.