“This one definitely falls on me. I think the right person got the loss,” Beckett said after he and the Red Sox fell 4-2 in Texas on Tuesday night.
“I think it was lost at about 7:30, in the first inning. The two-out runs are just demoralizing to everybody, especially to a pitcher. They did it three times to me tonight, and it’s not good. It’s unacceptable.”
Beckett was referring to a two-RBI single by Hank Blalock in the first inning and an RBI single by Josh Hamilton in the eighth inning, which expanded the Rangers’ lead to three runs.
Blalock’s single was preceded by a double steal, with Ian Kinsler and Andruw Jones taking stealing third and second base, respectively. Even for that, Beckett assumed responsibility.
“I didn’t hold the ball long enough,” he said.
When asked about the Red Sox’ anemic offense of late, Beckett did not want to hear it.
“They’re busting their [butts],” Beckett said of his teammates. “This loss is mine. I lost it in the first inning. You can’t go out and give up two runs with two outs in the first inning.”
Beckett also added that he doesn’t put any extra pressure on himself to be a “stopper.”
“I try to win every start,” he said. “I don’t care if we’ve won five in a row or lost a hundred. It doesn’t matter to me, I’m trying to win, and I gotta make pitches with two outs, and I didn’t do that tonight.”
While Beckett was extremely critical of himself, his start was, on most nights, good enough to win. He earned his third complete game of the season, and his second in as many starts. He surrendered seven hits and four runs while striking out seven and walking just one.
With his record now at 11-4, Beckett is still tied for the most wins in the American League and is ninth in the AL with a 3.42 ERA.
