The same scenario played out Saturday, when Beckett was great but the offense again wasted several scoring chances in a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. In an 8-1 triumph Sunday, Jon Lester said he didn't have his best command and manager Terry Francona discussed defensive lapses and several at-bats that were over too fast.
Finally, in a tidy Patriots' Day rout of the Blue Jays, the Red Sox could take comfort in having it all go right at the same time. The 9-1 win, behind Daisuke Matsuzaka's pitching and Jed Lowrie's hitting, was far and away the most complete effort the team has had in 2011.
Matsuzaka allowed a first-inning single, a second-inning walk and nothing else. He set down the last 16 in order and left the mound after seven innings with a 9-0 lead and a pitch count of 89 that spoke to his remarkable efficiency. The crowd at Fenway Park stood as one and applauded as the right-hander walked into the dugout.
All this a week after Matsuzaka was booed following a disastrous start against Tampa Bay. That contrast was not lost on his teammates.
"One thing that was a little shocking was last game he got booed, so it was kind of funny that he's coming off the field and gets cheered," third baseman Kevin Youkilis said. "Kind of foot in mouth right there. It's good how he responded."
For the fourth straight game, Boston's offense made things a bit easier on its starter. Matsuzaka was spotted a quick 2-0 lead when red-hot Jed Lowrie lined a two-run single in the bottom of the first. Another run came in the third on a David Ortiz base hit, and Lowrie opened things up a bit with a two-run shot in the fifth. Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury also homered.
Overall, the Red Sox had a season-high 13 hits and matched their season high with the nine runs. They had three home runs in a game for the first time in 2011 and set another season standard with six extra-base hits. Every starter reached base at least once and eight of them had a hit, including the struggling Carl Crawford, who had an RBI double in the sixth.
Additionally, there were no errors, and the go-go Blue Jays — who had nine stolen bases in the first three games of the series — didn't even get a chance to try for one; Boston pitchers combined to allow a season-low three base runners.
Essentially, everything was finally in sync.
"They have to complement each other," catcher Jason Varitek said of each department. "Fortunately, they matched up today."
Early in the season, it was difficult to find a particular someone on which to pin blame for the Red Sox' woes. The starting pitching was a mess, several hitters were struggling to flirt with the .200 mark and the bullpen had its fair share of flare-ups. On Monday, in a beautiful effort that lasted just two hours, 49 minutes under mostly sunny skies, it was easy to spread around the compliments.
