Beckett Comes Up Small in the Bronx
Monday, August 09, 2010
The record will most likely show that the 2010 Red Sox were mathematically eliminated from post season contention sometime in mid to late September. However, the real ending to the 2010 season came last night in the Bronx.
Josh Beckett, Boston’s alleged ace, took the mound against the little known Dustin Moseley in a very important game for the Red Sox. Unfortunately for Boston, it was Moseley who pitched more like an ace. A few hours later, Beckett and his teammates went back to their hotel rooms a dejected bunch.
Beckett used to come up big in spots like this. No more. Coming off of his most impressive performance of the season against Cleveland last week at Fenway, many thought that Beckett was back, that his back problems were a thing of the past and he was rested and ready for a strong late season push toward the playoffs.
Instead, Beckett got hammered by Yankee hitters giving up 11 hits, 2 walks and 7 earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work setting the stage for a disappointing second consecutive loss to first place New York.
Earlier in the day, the struggling Tampa Bay Rays were nearly no-hit in Toronto. Their loss to the Blue Jays put them just 4 games ahead of Boston in the American League Wild Card race. After Beckett’s implosion, Boston not only failed to pull to within 3 ½ games of the wild card-leading Rays, they fell into a tie with Minnesota for second in the AL Wild Card race 4 ½ games off the pace.
With 50 games to go in the regular season, there’s still time for the Red Sox and any other team to make up a 4 ½ game deficit. But when your ace pitches like he did to start the season, which is to say horribly, it sucks the life out of you and makes you think that a comeback is not in the cards.
Today, Jon Lester take the mound for Boston in the series finale in New York. Phil Hughes counters for the Yankees.
Lester, who most believe is Boston’s new ace, is winless since the All-Star break going 0-4 in that stretch. A solid performance by the lefty and a Red Sox win is essentially a must or the timetable for that mathematical elimination may move up to early September.
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