Red Sox Live Blog: Josh Beckett Gem Leads Red Sox Past Yankees in Series Finale

Postgame, Red Sox 4-0: Josh Beckett set down the last 14 men he faced, striking out five of them. The outs being made by the Yankees were getting weaker and weaker, it seemed.

So, was he ever going to come out for the ninth inning?

In a word, no. Terry Francona saw that the top of the order was coming up and knew that against the Yankees an error and a walk can turn into a game-tying rally in a heartbeat. He also wanted to get Jonathan Papelbon, who has been used sparingly, a nice clean inning.

When asked if he wanted to come back out for the ninth, Beckett was blunt.

“That’s not my decision to make,” he said.

Look for plenty more on Beckett in a separate story. In one final piece of housekeeping, Adrian Gonzalez is fine after taking a fastball off his left hand. Francona said it got him on the knuckles and he was in some pain at first, but by the time he reached third base in that inning the pain had subsided.

“He’s fine,” Francona said.

Expect Gonzalez to be in the lineup with the battle for last place begins Monday night. The 1-8 Tampa Bay Rays stroll into town for three straight, and we will be perched high above to bring you all the action. First pitch is 7:10 p.m.

Final, Red Sox 4-0: That’ll do it. Only one major storyline tonight, and that’s Josh Beckett, who gave the club something they haven’t seen from him for almost two years.

Off to hear from Beckett and the rest of the crew after the Red Sox improve to 2-7.

End 8th, Red Sox 4-0: It is certainly not insignificant that David Ortiz ripped an RBI double in the eighth, but what everyone was waiting to see is if Josh Beckett would get a chance to finish this one out.

He won’t, and the rain that is now falling may have something to do with it. Beckett slipped on a mound in Yankee Stadium last year to reinjure his back. The conditions were much worse than this, but I guess Terry Francona didn’t see the need to give his righty a chance for the shutout in this kind of a situation.

Still, what an effort. 8 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 10 Ks, 1 HB. He threw 103 pitches, 68 for strikes.

Ortiz’s double was a bomb, though, struck to the depth of the triangle to score Kevin Youkilis all the way from first.

10:52 p.m.: From those who have a view of it in the press box, Josh Beckett did not give any handshakes or hugs when he left the mound in the eighth. He will start the ninth, in all likelihood.

Still, Daniel Bard has been sat down and Jonathan Papelbon is throwing in the bullpen.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-0: Josh Beckett has 10 strikeouts for the first time since July 27, 2009, and for the 11th time in his career.

He has retired 14 straight and, at 103 pitches, should be given a chance for a complete game. The last one of those came two starts before that last 10-K effort. It was against Kansas City.

End 7th, Red Sox 3-0: After the Marco Scutaro two-run double the Yankees turn to Boone Logan, who gets Carl Crawford on a hard grounder to a drawn-in Robinson Cano.

They then elect to put on Dustin Pedroia to face Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded. Teams will pay for that at some point, but Logan gets Gonzalez to fly to left.

It’s safe to say we will see Logan and Gonzalez matched up in a big spot many times this year.

Josh Beckett is on to start the eighth. Daniel Bard is warming.

10:35 p.m.: Indeed, Boone Logan comes on to face Carl Crawford, but it’s an inning earlier than the Yankees may have wanted, as Joba Chamberlain didn’t do the job(a) in the seventh.

Chamberlain issues a leadoff walk to David Ortiz. J.D. Drew drew another one out later, Jason Varitek singled and Marco Scutaro had a two-run double into the corner in left.

The big hits have been so few and far between for Boston that they stand out so much when they finally occur. That was a big one right there.

10:31 p.m.: There is a conference on the mound after Joba Chamberlain issues a pair of walks around a strikeout of Mike Cameron. He stays in the game with Boone Logan warming, perhaps if it gets to Carl Crawford in this frame.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 1-0: Josh Beckett’s ninth strikeout highlights his third straight 1-2-3 inning. Can’t say enough about his effort tonight.

The last time Beckett reached double figures in the K category was July 27, 2009, against Oakland. That was in the midst of that run of dominance that Beckett has said many times is the best he has ever pitched. If he ever approaches that again, the rotation is transformed.

Beckett has thrown 95 pitches. Nobody is up in the Boston bullpen. Nobody needs to be. Yet.

Joba Chamberlain remains in the game for New York.

End 6th, Red Sox 1-0: OK, so Joba Chamberlain started Kevin Youkilis with the slider, which was a ball. He then went to the fastball on the inner half and Youkilis hit a grounder to Eric Chavez at third.

Chavez knocked it down but had plenty of time to get Youkilis for the final out.

Boston is now 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and have left 12 runners on base. As you all know, that can come back to hurt you, especially against a quality lineup.

10:11 p.m.: CC Sabathia’s 117th pitch of the night is his last. It is ball four to Adrian Gonzalez, which loads the bases for Joba Chamberlain against, you guessed it, Kevin Youkilis.

Should be dramatic, regardless. Expect fastball in, slider away, over and over.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 1-0: That’s now eight straight retired by Josh Beckett.

The top of the Yankees order does almost nothing in the sixth. Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter both grounded out weakly to second base before Mark Teixeira struck out for the second time.

It is Beckett’s eighth K of the night. In case anyone is curious, his career high is 13, so it would take a pretty remarkable finish to flirt with that number.

End 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Some cause for concern after Adrian Gonzalez is hit in the hand by a CC Sabathia offering. He appears to be fine for now.

David Ortiz later singled before Sabathia went to a heavy diet (pun very much intended) of sliders to eventually strike out J.D. Drew.

Josh Beckett is up to 78 pitches as he begins the sixth against the top of the Yankees lineup.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Josh Beckett has his third 1-2-3 inning of the night and picks up his seventh strikeout along the way.

It’s early, and I do have incredible powers when it comes to jinxing the Red Sox, but Beckett’s last scoreless outing came Aug. 7, 2009, at New York.

End 4th, Red Sox 1-0: One reason why Terry Francona wanted to have Marco Scutaro in there tonight was because of his success against CC Sabathia.

Scutaro doesn’t have a hit, but he has drawn a walk in both plate appearances. He is now 9-for-28 (.321) with seven walks vs. Sabathia.

It doesn’t lead to anything for the Red Sox, except to bump up Sabathia’s pitch count, which is now up to 70.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: The Yankees get two men on for the second straight inning, but again have nothing to show for it.

Josh Beckett struck out an awkward-looking Derek Jeter (not himself at the plate right now), walked Mark Teixeira and gave up a single to hit machine Robinson Cano.

The big K, Beckett’s sixth of the night, came when he got Curtis Granderson for the second out. Nick Swisher grounded to second.

Beckett’s high for strikeouts last season was nine, accomplished in 6 1/3 innings against Chicago.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: A wacky bottom of the third inning, and not one the Red Sox are entirely pleased about, even though they took the lead.

Boston had the bases loaded and no outs when David Ortiz hit a grounder to Robinson Cano. Kevin Youkilis slid out of the base path to try to take out Derek Jeter, and the second base umpire ruled interference. That put the lead runners back to second and third (Dustin Pedroia had crossed home) and kept the double play on the board. No run.

The run came in moments later when Mike Cameron had an infield hit.

Pedroia is having such a good series that he scored twice on consecutive plays.

Youkilis argued, as did manager Terry Francona, but he was about five feet out of the line. Bold call, and not one you will always see, but a good one. Youk did a nice job of rolling toward the bag after the play in question to look as if he had proximity. He did not. Good call, as rare as it is.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: The Robinson Cano-Dustin Pedroia debate began to lean heavily on the side of the Yankees second baseman last year when Cano was so good and Pedroia was hurt.

Cano even earned a Gold Glove in his best season as a pro. However, Pedroia remains the better defender, and still has that in any debates as to which rival has the better All-Star at second base.

Pedroia made another in a string of great defensive plays this year by turning a double play to end the third. Josh Beckett had given up a single and hit a batter. The lightning-quick Brett Gardner came up and chopped one up the middle that Pedroia fielded while stepping on the bag and throwing across his body to nip Gardner, all in one motion.

Beckett picked up his fourth strikeout earlier in the inning.

End 2nd, 0-0: It’s a tiny sample, but one small positive for the Red Sox early on has been J.D. Drew’s at-bats vs. lefties. He is now 2-for-4 following a single against CC Sabathia in the second.

Drew also had a number of good at-bats vs. lefties during spring training, so it’s not just a one-week thing. That could impact how many times we see Mike Cameron or Darnell McDonald getting starts in right.

Marco Scutaro also got on with a two-out walk, but Carl Crawford flew to center. Crawford is now 1-for-12 in the series and is batting .143 (5-for-35) overall.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Three strikeouts — two on curveballs — and Josh Beckett is through two innings without allowing a man to reach.

A-Rod or no A-Rod, this is a lineup that can hurt you, and it has with Beckett plenty of times in the past. If he can give them a few more innings of this, it will be a big boost.

End 1st, 0-0: The Red Sox had two encouraging developments in the bottom of the first.

Dustin Pedroia, who was 1-for-22 against CC Sabathia, ripped a single to center with one out.

Kevin Youkilis, who has had success vs. Sabathia but who has struggled all year, had a base hit of his own with two down.

That left it all up to David Ortiz, whose bat was broken into several pieces on an inning-ending grounder to second.

With that out, the Red Sox’ average with runners in scoring position falls to .194.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Josh Beckett went to 2-0 on leadoff man Brett Gardner before striking him out. He was at 3-1 on Derek Jeter, but got him to ground to short.

Mark Teixeira also went down looking for the final out.

Beckett broke off a nice curve to get Gardner and has some real life on his fastball, both in terms of velocity and movement. It was a 94 mph two-seamer that caught the inside corner and go Teixeira.

So many Red Sox starters have lacked much power behind their pitches, for whatever reason. Beckett had plenty in that inning, a great sign.

8:09 p.m.: The first pitch by Josh Beckett is a ball, and we are off and running.

7:44 p.m.: If you are still learning of the Clay Buchholz signing, here is a little more background.

There is rain approaching the area, as you may know. It likely won’t have any impact tonight, but the Tampa Bay series could feel it. Something to keep an eye on if you are planning on coming to those games. As my mother would say, “bring a slicker.”

7:18 p.m.: As promised, here is the new Yankees lineup, without Alex Rodriguez, who was scratched with flu-like symptoms:

Brett Gardner, LF
Derek Jeter, SS
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Curtis Granderson, CF
Nick Swisher, RF
Jorge Posada, DH
Eric Chavez, 3B
Russell Martin, C

7:12 p.m.: There is word that Alex Rodriguez has been scratched from this one. He is not feeling well. Eric Chavez is in the game for him.

We will get you the new Yankees lineup in a bit.

6:58 p.m.: Look for a Clay Buchholz assessment on the site in a bit. Here is the Yankees lineup vs. Josh Beckett:

Brett Gardner, LF
Derek Jeter, SS
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Jorge Posada, DH
Curtis Granderson, CF
Russell Martin, C

The guy to look out for, again, is Robinson Cano. He is 19-for-56 (.339) with three homers, seven doubles, five walks and 12 RBIs against Beckett.

5:19 p.m.: The Red Sox made official what we had heard earlier. Clay Buchholz has been signed to a four-year extension that will take him through the 2015 season.

There are club options for 2016 and 2017, which could keep the 26-year-old Buchholz in the fold until he is 33.

Both Theo Epstein and Terry Francona stressed the continued focus on maintaining homegrown players.

“We feel good about these homegrown guys because we know them,” Epstein said.