Great pitching and timely hitting. That's what I like to see. Josh Beckett has become a bona fide Ace this season.
The only Sox starter who went hitless was Drew. Ortiz appears to be getting his power stroke back as he belted his 12th homerun of the season. Cora had a good day in the place of the struggling Julio Lugo. He went 1 for 2 with a triple, an RBI Sac-Fly, and a run scored.
But let's not get too overconfident due to this solid 4-0 win. We've done pretty well against Hudson in the past, and even though we knocked him out in the 6th, we didn't exactly clobber him, especially not early on. So let's just try to keep things in perspective.
The Man of the Game is Josh Beckett. He went 6 scoreless innings before being removed after a 50 minute rain delay. He probably could have gone 7 or 8 if necessary. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 3. At the plate, he was 1 for 3 with an RBI double and a run scored.
Honorable Mentions:
David Ortiz: 1/3, HR, BB
Alex Cora: 1/2, RBI, 3B
SCHILLING MRI NEGATIVE
An MRI on Tuesday showed no structural damage to Schilling's right shoulder, but he said he has not felt right all year and would be surprised if he made his scheduled start Sunday against the Padres, reports the Boston Globe. Schilling will be re-evaluated on Friday.
He hasn't really looked right all year. He's had some brilliant outings, but he's lacked consistency. Maybe his arm is simply worn down. See, this is why you don't extend contracts to 40 year old players. You never know what's going to happen.
Maybe some time off will help him return to strength. Otherwise, it seems as though Tavarez might stay in the rotation when Lester returns.
