The fun starts Sunday night when Josh Beckett takes the mound at Fenway. What's at stake for Beckett? How about first place in the American league East over your hated rival on national television. Other than games in October it doesn't get much bigger than this. No pressure, Josh.
Red Sox fans hope Beckett pitches as well as he did the last time Boston played on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. In a start at Tampa Bay on July 17 Beckett was lights out, going eight scoreless innings and surrendering only one hit on an infield single while striking out six. The 31-year-old Beckett is 3-0 against the Yankees this season with an astonishing 0.86 ERA. He will be going for his 10th win of the season.
On Monday, Tim Wakefield will once again be vying for his elusive 200th career win when he takes the mound at Target Field in Minnesota against the Twins. Since picking up win 199 on July 24 against Seattle, the knuckleballer took the loss despite pitching well in a tough 3-1 defeat at Chicago on July 29 and did not get a decision on Wednesday against Cleveland. If he is able to earn a win on Monday, the 45-year-old Wakefield will become the 111th pitcher to amass 200 or more wins.
Erik Bedard will make his second start in a Red Sox uniform on Tuesday, hoping to improve on his Boston debut from Thursday where he got a no-decision against the Indians. Limited to 70 pitches in that outing, the southpaw went five innings and gave up three earned runs on seven hits, but struck out five and did not yield a walk. Sox manager Terry Francona expressed his pleasure in Bedard's outing, encouraged by the fact he retired his final seven batters. Bedard is expected to have a higher pitch count for his next start as Boston weighs his potential for postseason work.
Jon Lester did something on Friday he had only done once previously in his career: he lost against the Yankees. The lefty had been 8-1 against the Bombers prior to Friday's 3-2 setback, but he will return to the bump for Boston on Wednesday looking to shake off the defeat. He enters the contest with a record of 11-5 and having recorded five strikeouts or more in his last nine outings.
After an off day on Thursday the Sox will travel to Seattle on Friday with John Lackey getting the nod. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has finally shown some consistency for Boston, winning five of his last six starts and going unbeaten since July 4. The 32-year-old Lackey picked up his 10th victory of the season in the Red Sox 10-4 triumph over the Yankees, with Lackey striking out five in six innings while lowering his ERA to 6.14, its lowest mark since April.
Beckett returns to the rubber with a highly-anticipated matchup on Saturday against Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. Hernandez, who starts on Sunday for the M's, enters the day at 10-9 with 162 strikeouts, good for fifth-most in the majors. King Felix is 0-1 in two starts against Boston this season, giving up 17 hits and eight earned runs in 13 1/3 innings.