Better Beckett
Entering the season the Red Sox figured to be in good shape any time the three "J's" were pitching — Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Jon Lester.
That hasn't always been the case, in large part due to Beckett's down year. But lately, the one-time ace of the staff has turned it around.
When Beckett goes in the middle game of the set Saturday night, he will be looking to build on a string of four straight quality starts. He has a 3.16 ERA in that stretch while striking out 28 batters in 25 2/3 innings.
Of course, Toronto is traditionally the worst matchup for Beckett, who is 3-5 with a 7.34 ERA in 13 career starts against the A.L. East rival. Included in that misery is an outing in Toronto earlier this year in which he gave up eight runs in three innings.
Having a rare quality appearance vs. the Jays will help Beckett continue his momentum into the offseason.
Southpaw Success
Victor Martinez, Adrian Beltre and other right-handed hitters will be called upon to do some damage against a pair of Toronto lefties, Brett Cecil and Ricky Romero.
Boston has continued to hit southpaws as well or even slightly better than righties despite horrid seasons in such situations for both David Ortiz and J.D. Drew. Much of that has to do with Martinez (.402/.437/.727/1.164 vs. lefties), Beltre (.327/.381/.564/.945) and others with slight upticks like Darnell McDonald and Marco Scutaro.
Against Cecil, expect to see Ortiz dropped to fifth and Drew, if he even plays, batting seventh or eighth while the onus is placed on others to get the big hit. Those two are 1-for-8 with three strikeouts vs. Cecil this year while Scutaro and McDonald are a combined 7-for-9 (.778).
When facing Romero it might not matter as much. Ortiz and Drew have done very well against him. But Martinez, Beltre and Scutaro are a collective 13-for-22 (.591) vs. Romero in 2010.
Kick 'em While They're Down
There comes a point where every also-ran sees the writing on the wall. Wins and losses become less important than getting a good glimpse at a youngster or just finishing the year without a major injury.
While there is debate as to whether the Red Sox have already entered that realm, it's undeniable that the Blue Jays have. They have lost seven of eight, 13 of 18 and are at .500 for the first time in almost two months.
If Boston is the one team still playing for something, it might make all the difference in how each manager approaches a close game. Advantage, Red Sox.
