Perfect 10s...Boston 8 Oakland 3

IP H R ER BB K HR BFP Pit
7.0 8 3 3 1 10 0 30 103


That's Josh Beckett's pitching line for Monday night's Fenway Park game against the A's. HE IS UNDEFEATED IN HIS FIRST 10 STARTS AT THE FENS IN 2009. Not bad, Josh. And we can make it a pair of 10s as last night he struck out 10 A's batters to lead his team to a resounding 8-3 Boston victory. Beckett's curveball was simply amazing and he used both sides of the plate to baffle the Athletics. And newcomer Adam LaRoche, who manned first base last night with Mikey Lowell again sitting out, continued his torrid hitting with a pair a doubles. He is the new Fenway favorite, much like leftfielder Jason Bay was when he first arrived. Adam had a few words to say after the game...

“When you see this, and how this atmosphere gives you like a new life almost, it just really energizes you,’’ LaRoche said. “I kind of, in some ways, feel like a rookie again with the energy of these guys, the excitement. It’s fun to come to the field.’’

His infield mate Pedey Pedroia added this...

“It’s tough coming in a new place,’’ Dustin Pedroia said. “Just like Jason did, Adam’s swinging the bat well. He’s a great guy. He’s been great in the clubhouse. We’re happy to have him here.’’

Keep it going, Adam. You've been helping the team to put some much-needed crooked numbers on the scoreboard. That coupled with a dominating performance by the ace made for a comfortable Red Sox victory. And talking about Josh, here he is...

“We had a game plan and we stuck to it, and Tek deserves a lot of credit for that,” Beckett said. “I thought Tek and I did a really good job. I think each day is a new day for me,” Beckett said. “As far as starts go, just developing a routine and sticking to it helps me carry one start over to the next. You don’t have all that downtime to either dwell on what happened or let things go to your head.”

Hey Josh, keep doing what you've been doing and the Sox will be OK. To my Constant Readers, I thank you for stopping by and we'll leave it to Clay Buchholz to chalk another one up in the win column. I'd love to read your comments and if you click on this post's title, you'll be transported to the Sports Illustrated Red Sox page. POOF...just like that. As always, BE WELL. I'll see you...soon.