Beckett Continues Cy Young Campaign

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Aug 8, 2009

Beckett Continues Cy Young Campaign Red Sox ace Josh Beckett is undoubtedly the Amica Pitcher of the Week for the first week in August.

Beckett was the only Sox hurler to make two starts between Aug. 1-7, and he dazzled in both performances. He was also the only Sox starter to earn a victory, as the Sox went 2-4 to begin the new calendar page.

In his the two starts combined (at Baltimore and at New York), Beckett struck out 12, while allowing only 10 hits and four walks in 14 innings of work. He did not give up a run in either appearance.

His seven-inning outing in Baltimore to start the post-trade deadline season earned Beckett his 13th win of the season, while a similar seven-inning performance in the Bronx left the hard-throwing righty with a no-decision, before Junichi Tazawa served up a hanging slider to Alex Rodriguez in the bottom of the 15th inning to break a 0-0 tie in his major league debut.

Nonetheless, Beckett was dominant, as he currently sits at 13-4 with a declining 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and an increasing strikeout total of 139 on the season.

Hideki Okajima had a strong week out of the Sox bullpen. The lefty made four appearances, while yielding just three hits in four shutout innings of work. He also collected three strikeouts and a hold on Aug. 4, before Daniel Bard blew a save in the eighth inning in Tampa Bay, surrendering a game-tying home run to Evan Longoria.

Though his lone start of the week was wasted by a struggling Red Sox offense and Bard’s blown save, Jon Lester once again was on cruise control on the mound. He tossed six innings of one-run ball in Tampa Bay on Aug. 4, striking out 10 Rays while scattering only three hits and a pair of walks. The no-decision left Lester with a mediocre 9-7 record, despite owning a solid 3.67 ERA on the season.

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