Cleveland - 034 000 001 - 8 12 0 Red Sox - 010 010 100 - 3 10 0Josh Beckett (2.1-7-7-2-2, 56) recorded seven outs and allowed seven runs. Nine of the 16 batters he faced reached base, including eight of the last 11. He was booed and jeered as he left the game with one out in the top of the third. It was Beckett's shortest outing since 2.1 IP on August 17, 2008, in Toronto.
After the game, Beckett was idiotically defiant: "I spend my off-days the way I want to spend them."
Adrian Gonzalez had two hits and scored two runs. Daniel Nava, in his first Sox game of the year, had an RBI double and two walks. ... Beckett's dismal performance increased the starters' season ERA to 6.06 (7.24 at home). ... Boston (12-19) has lost eight of its last nine games; its six-game losing streak at home is the team's longest since 1994.
Bobby Valentine defended Beckett before the game: "I've never seen a pitcher get hurt playing golf."
Sweeney, RFBeckett is making his first start since April 29, when he threw 126 pitches in a loss to the White Sox. Beckett will also be dealing with questions about reports that he played golf last Thursday, one day after it was announced that he would miss a start because of a tight/stiff right lat muscle. He also allegedly refused recently to do assigned training work between starts.
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Gonzalez, 1B
Middlebrooks, 3B
Nava, LF
Aviles, SS
Byrd, CF
Shoppach, C
Derek Lowe returns to the Fenway Park mound for the only the second time since leaving after the 2004 season; the first was June 20, 2009 with Atlanta. Lowe, 38, has a 2.39 ERA in six starts this year. Cleveland is 17-13 and is in first place in the AL Central.
The Red Sox are 12-18, 7.5 GB the Rays. Since September 1 of last year, the Red Sox have played .333 ball over 57 games (19-38), the equivalent of one-third of a season.
28 comments:
Heading to Fenway for tonight's game: the last time I saw Lowe pitch in person was this reasonably memorable occasion:
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10080BOS2004.htm
Mark Melancon is going great guns in Pawtucket. 9.2 innings, 0.00 ERA, 17 strikeouts and 0 walks.
Remy is back tonight, apparently.
Sweeney, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Gonzalez, 1B
Middlebrooks, 3B
Nava, LF
Aviles, SS
Byrd, CF
Shoppach, C
Nava up & Mortensen optioned. Justin Thomas DFA to make room on the 40-man for Nava.
I didnt even now Nava was still with the Red Sox til Jere mentioned it the other night
60 games in 2010 for Nava and none last year, that is odd..was he hurt last year?
Gordon Edes tweets
Q to Beckett: Do people have right to question why you were golfing when you skipped a start: "Not on my off day"
Q to Beckett: Do you understand how that looks when team so poor? We get 18 off-days a year I think we deserve a little time to ourselves
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Lou Merloni tweet:
I can't even sleep right now. I'm so pissed at what I heard.Getting lit was bad but the words that came out of his mouth? Embarrassing
From SOSH:
Edes: "Are you concerned that golfing might have made your injury worse"?
Beckett: "Not on my off day."
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SOSH mabrowndog:
I wouldn't even say ornery. Just sitting there calmly with the same cocky smirk on his face. A little more soft-spoken and without the 2007 bravado (remember his "I don't get paid to make those fucking decisions" declaration?), but certainly unrepentant and unashamed.
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I wouldnt be upset if he was no longer a Red Sock... As a red sock fan here on the east coast , i hate answering questions that are not about baseball and about spoiled assholes.
He is a douchebag and has to go, someone mentioned it the other night, this team might have to be blown up.
You cannot expect a manger to do his job with people like that.
And the "smart fans" comment was uncalled for
Edes: "Are you concerned that golfing might have made your injury worse"?
Beckett: "Not on my off day."
Good to know that if you aggravate an injury on your off day, it magically heals by the time you have to pitch.
And the "smart fans" comment was uncalled for
Explanation pls?
I don't think Beckett has ever shown leadership qualities (except for maybe that year he came into camp in shape and that was the BIG news).
So I guess his attitude is not unexpected. Very disappointing, yes. Anger-instilling, yes. But not unexpected. He is pitching like crap; the team is losing; he is dealing with a manager who openly criticized him last year. And we know his MO is to become defensive and surly instead of acting like a leader and taking motivation from these things.
He is more and more looking like a player who collects his paycheck and doesn't care about anything else.
And I thought my frustration would be less with Lackey gone!
I think maybe Beckett wants to be traded. He could have said stuff to try to quiet down the Golf Riot, but he did the opposite. I think he's doing it on purpose. He's not really this tone-deaf,
I think Beckett feels some indignance that he has to be apologetic to people (fans) who don't really know him. (In a way, if I were a baseball player, I'd feel similarly.) And so he does everything in his power to show that he doesn't answer to anyone for his actions, even if sometimes that means being a contrarian to a career-killing degree.
Laura did you want me to explain the smart fans or comment or Beckett?
Not to look like I'm pimping my site but I posted a quick summary of Boston's win/loss splits since last September at my blog.
I would guess that most people here would not find the numbers that surprising.
It's almost like Beckett's trying to take the Manny way out: act like you don't want to be here until they trade you. In the meantime, take the money.
I think in the back of my mind I've already decided this isn't our year. At least it will take the pressure off, and I can enjoy watching baseball instead of being vested in every triumph or disappointment. But the rest of my mind doesn't know that, so I'll keep watching and let it play havoc with my emotions.
lauraK, this is the "smart fans" comment 9casey was referring to:
He was questioned whether he believed the reaction was toward him, or the overall state of the team.
"It was directed at me," Beckett said. "I pitched like [expletive]. That's what happens. Smart fans."
Bobby, you're correct that a pitcher probably won't get hurt playing golf. But, pitchers usually do get hurt when they ignore the strength coaches and known injuries usually get worse if we play golf with them.
I think Tom may be right---that he is looking to be traded. Will anyone want him with the way he's been pitching on top of that attitude and arrogance? (I HATE arrogance. One of the most repulsive traits in my book.)
Wardo, I am with you. I have given up on a winning season, certainly on a post-season, so I keep trying the Zen approach of enjoying each game as a game. But it's a tough adjustment after the last 9 years or so.
9C, I wouldn't miss him either. Although he was a hero in 2007, I have lost any affection for him. And you know how I am once I don't like a player. :)
But it's a tough adjustment after the last 9 years or so.
Indeed. So I also take the sour grapes approach that we'll lose the bandwagon fans, and it will be easier to get tickets to a game.
Thanks, Eric.
Maybe I should write something about the zen-like approach to baseball. If you say you've "given up," you're already not doing it, since that's about the future. The idea is to be in the moment. Maybe we'll talk about it during a thread.
9C, I was asking about the "smart fans" quote, which Eric explained. If a quote isn't in JoS, I don't see it - since I read/watch/listen to zero mainstream sports media.
Exactly, Laura. I am trying hard NOT to think about the future I didn't say I had succeeded though--that's always the struggle with living in the moment--remembering to focus on the moment.
I think Beckett feels some indignance that he has to be apologetic to people (fans) who don't really know him. (In a way, if I were a baseball player, I'd feel similarly.) And so he does everything in his power to show that he doesn't answer to anyone for his actions, even if sometimes that means being a contrarian to a career-killing degree.
M Horse, I agree with you in principle - and I would agree entirely IF Beckett was doing everything he could to pitch as well as possible - resting when necessary, doing all the required therapy and strength training, and so on. Then he could tell us all to fuck off and it would be our problem, not his.
I detested when Manny was expected to explain himself constantly, when he (by all reports) was tremendously dedicated and had a stellar work ethic. But that doesn't seem to apply to Beckett.
It appears that Beckett doesn't take his job seriously. So not answering to the fans has to be seen in that context, IMO.
Amy, if you practice this for baseball games, it may seep into other areas of your life. Think of the possibilities! Sox Therapy!
I posted a response, but perhaps it never got through?
Anyway, what I said was that it actually is the reverse for me. Yoga has helped me to try and live in the present, so now I am trying to bring that to baseball as well. But it isn't easy.
If this is a duplicate and the other just hasn't gotten posted yet, please discard!
I think it all works together. The more you use the tools in different areas of your life, the easier it becomes.
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