G12: Red Sox 3, Mariners 2

Mariners - 002 000 000 - 2  7  2
Red Sox -  200 100 00x - 3  5  1

The bats remain MIA -- 29-for-125, .232 with runners in scoring position (10-for-64, .156 at home) -- but Josh Beckett still got credit for his third win of the season with another great performance (7-6-2-1-1-5).

It was a strange game. Boston needed a blown call at first base to score its second run in the first inning. Based on the two triples Seattle hit into the right field corner, Wily Mo Pena is not the answer, so it's good news to hear Francona say there's "a decent chance" Trot Nixon will play on Monday.

Manny Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a walk, and of his five putouts in left, three were fairly difficult catches. And the worst thing about Jonathan Papelbon's 1-2-3 ninth inning was that he somehow slipped up and went to a 3-1 count on his final batter. Horrors!

Lenny DiNardo gets the start (the second of his big league career) Monday morning. Francona says he could throw 80-90 pitches. I'm really hopeful that he'll make the most of his starts in David Wells's absence.

As far as Saturday's lineup, Francona said this:

I wrestle with that [when to rest his starters] a lot. I just come to the conclusion that 162 games is a long time, and if I try to do something I'm not supposed to do, it will end up catching up with us. I just think that if you do things against what you think is right you are going to end up causing more problems. You might win one game and lose 10 down the road.

He has yet to explain why everyone got the day off together.

***

Beckett has a clean first inning. A good start!