Associated Press Associated Press ADVERTISING BOSTON — Josh Beckett did exactly what he needed to satisfy the fired-up fans at Fenway Park. Beckett pitched his best game of the season, striking out nine and scattering four hits over seven innings
Associated Press
BOSTON — Josh Beckett did exactly what he needed to satisfy the fired-up fans at Fenway Park.
Beckett pitched his best game of the season, striking out nine and scattering four hits over seven innings as the Red Sox shut out the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Tuesday, extending Boston’s winning streak to five.
Beckett hit 93 mph on the first pitch he threw and struck out leadoff batter Dustin Ackley, quickly establishing he was well past his poor start of last week.
“I don’t think I was trying to make a statement,” Beckett said. “I don’t even know that I did. Location was key for me today, I just kept the ball down.”
The timing couldn’t have been better. Beckett lasted less than three innings in a start against Cleveland on Thursday, when he was booed off the mound after allowing seven runs on seven hits.
Beckett (3-4), who was also celebrating his 32nd birthday, was still going strong through seven innings but manager Bobby Valentine pulled him before the eighth inning as a cold rain started to get heavier.
Rich Hill and Alfredo Aceves pitched an inning each to complete the shutout, which capped a 5-1 homestand for the Red Sox.
“You just want to keep your team in the game. The starters have been doing that lately, and it’s nice to keep that going,” Beckett said. “It’s nice. These guys have been playing their butts off all year. It’s nice to be able to keep that going.”
Beckett also improved his status among Boston fans, who already were seething last week over news Beckett had played golf the week before after being scratched from a start because of back stiffness. They unloaded on him as he made his way to the dugout, Beckett’s head down the entire way.
Beckett didn’t give the fans a much of a chance to boo him in this outing. After he fanned Ackley, Beckett picked up two more strikeouts in the second and then struck out the side in the third with the game still scoreless.
“Josh was the king of the hill today,” Valentine said. “Josh has things that motivate him, and he was certainly motivated today. He’s one of our big boys. He doesn’t need to follow. He can lead, and he wanted to today.”
David Ortiz hit his eighth homer and scored a run after putting down a surprise bunt to lead off the fifth inning. Mike Aviles hit a pair of doubles and drove in two runs for the Red Sox, who are one win shy of tying their longest winning streak of the season.
The Mariners fell to 1-4 on a 10-game road trip and were shut out for the fifth time this season. Blake Beavan (1-4) went four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks.
A couple of defensive blunders, including a missed foul popup and blown double-play, also didn’t help.
“We cost ourselves a couple of runs with the defense today. No doubt,” manager Eric Wedge said. “No errors, but we make a couple of plays there it saves us a couple of runs and in that type of ballgame that’s a considerable difference.”
Ichiro Suzuki was the only Seattle player with more than one hit, singling twice. The Mariners thought they had a run in the second on Justin Smoak’s high shot to the right-field corner, but first base umpire Eric Cooper called it a foul ball and the call stood after a video review.
Smoak, who ended up striking out, felt he was robbed of a home run.
“From my view, which is right down the line, it went right over the pole,” Smoak said. “They looked at it. They don’t have the camera angles here because it being an old stadium and stuff like that. So the angle they had really didn’t show anything.”
The game remained scoreless until Ortiz led off the third with a solo shot into the Red Sox bullpen on a 3-2 pitch. Boston added two more runs in the fourth when Cody Ross walked with one out, Daniel Nava singled and Aviles hit an RBI double. Nava scored on Ryan Sweeney’s groundout.
Ortiz caught the Mariners — and everybody else at Fenway Park — off-guard when he laid a bunt down the third-base line for a leadoff single in the fifth. Seattle’s infield was shifted toward the right and nobody had a chance to field the ball in time.
Ortiz advanced to second when Adrian Gonzalez hit a grounder and shortstop Munenori Kawasaki pulled his foot off second base before throwing out Gonzalez at first. Ortiz took third on Charlie Furbush’s wild pitch to Will Middlebrooks, who followed with a line drive single.
“We’re going to bring some positive around here,” second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. “We played good today. we’ve been playing good so we’ve just got to keep it rolling.”
RAYS 4, BLUE JAYS 3
TORONTO — Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie slammed his batting helmet to the ground and it ricocheted into plate umpire Bill Miller as the ninth inning turned nasty.
Lawrie was ejected for arguing after he struck out looking. Lawrie took several steps toward Miller, wound up with his right arm and threw down his helmet. It bounced up and struck Miller around the right hip — a suspension from Major League Baseball is all but certain.
ORIOLES 5, YANKEES 2
BALTIMORE — Wei-Yin Chen pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, Adam Jones homered and the Orioles beat CC Sabathia and the Yankees.
ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ervin Santana struck out nine during 7 2-3 innings of four-hit ball, Albert Pujols drove in two runs with infield singles, and the Angels bounced back from yet another shutout loss.
ROYALS 7, RANGERS 4
ARLINGTON, Texas — Mike Moustakas homered, Billy Butler and Brayan Pena each drove in a pair of runs and Kansas City kept Texas’ potent offense in check for a second straight game.
INDIANS 5, TWINS 0
MINNEAPOLIS — Derek Lowe pitched his first shutout in nearly seven years, throwing a six-hitter and leading the Cleveland Indians over Minnesota.
TIGERS 10, WHITE SOX 8
CHICAGO — Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Raburn and Austin Jackson homered during an eight-run rally in the sixth inning and Detroit defeated Chicago.
Rockies beat Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — Marco Scutaro hit a leadoff homer against closer Santiago Casilla in the ninth inning and the Colorado Rockies beat the mistake-prone San Francisco Giants 5-4.
Scutaro smacked a 92 mph fastball from Casilla (0-2) just over the left-field wall for his first home run of the season after Colorado blew a three-run lead in the eighth.
Troy Tulowitzki, Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Gonzalez each drove in a run as the Rockies took advantage of three Giants errors to snap a four-game losing streak.
PADRES 6, NATIONALS 1
WASHINGTON — Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg left after four innings, matching the second-shortest appearance of his 25-start career, and San Diego’s Will Venable had four hits.
CARDINALS 7, CUBS 6
ST. LOUIS — Yadier Molina hit an RBI single off second baseman Darwin Barney’s glove with two outs in the ninth inning, helping the Cardinals avoid a sweep and an 0-5 homestand.
BRAVES 6, REDS 2
ATLANTA — Brian McCann homered and the Braves scored four runs in the third inning to deal Johnny Cueto his first loss.
BREWERS 8, METS 0
NEW YORK — Zack Greinke ran his scoreless streak to 15 innings, Travis Ishikawa homered twice and Milwaukee earned a split of the two-game series.
D-BACKS 5, DODGERS 1
LOS ANGELES — Wade Miley wiggled out of a couple jams while pitching into the seventh inning and the Diamondbacks snapped the Dodgers’ five-game winning streak.
MARLINS 6, PIRATES 2
MIAMI — Marlins ace Josh Johnson allowed two runs over seven innings for his first victory in more than a year.
PHILLIES 4, ASTROS 3 (10)
PHILADELPHIA — Hunter Pence atoned for a ninth-inning error by hitting his second home run of the game, a solo shot in the 10th that lifted the Phillies to the victory.
