Final, Red Sox 5-0: The Red Sox' pitching staff has been on fire and Josh Beckett followed up Jon Lester's gem with one of his own.
He tossed seven shutout innings en route to redeeming himself from last week's abysmal performance, where he was showered with boos.
The offense provided him with some support. Mike Aviles chipped in two RBIs to boost his average while David Ortiz clubbed his eighth homer of the season.
Alfredo Aceves notched the save.
End 8th, Red Sox 5-0: It's not a save situation, but it is time for Alfredo Aceves.
Speaking of closers, Andrew Bailey left on Tuesday morning to undergo an examination on his thumb. The cast is off, though, but Bailey was in Boston for the majority of this past home stretch.
6:54 p.m.: Mike Aviles' double sneaks into fair territory, bringing in Jarrod Saltalamacchia to continue giving the Sox a comfortable cushion.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 4-0: Rich Hill needed just 13 pitches to cruise through the eighth inning.
The reliever now owns a 1.17 ERA since making his return from Tommy John surgery. He's only allowed one earned run, which came in his first game back this season.
End 7th, Red Sox 4-0: That's all for Josh Beckett, who tossed a very impressive quality outing after last week's clunker.
That marks five straight quality outings for Red Sox starters, which is clearly the longest streak of the season for the club.
He finished with nine strikeouts and he tossed 93 pitches, 60 strikes.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 4-0: That's seven scoreless innings for Josh Beckett.
He finished that inning with 93 pitches, so he's also been very efficient in this performance and could be eyeing a complete game.
It depends on what Bobby Valentine and Bob McClure decide, considering Rich Hill is throwing in the bullpen. I think they'll give Beckett a little more run.
End 6th, Red Sox 4-0: Charlie Furbush has been attacking the Red Sox hitters with a bevy of fastballs.
Furbush is a South Portland, Maine native, so this has to be a special moment as he makes his Fenway Park debut. He probably has some family over here.
Either way, it was a good first impression for him during his debut in New England.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 4-0: In case you forgot, Ichiro is still a monster on the basepaths.
After getting a single, he raced to second for a steal. And — I called this in the press box — he stole third on the next pitch. I saw how far Middlebrooks was from the base and it made it very easy for Ichiro to go swiping for more.
Like he's done all game long, Beckett held down the fort.
End 5th, Red Sox 4-0: After slugging a homer, what does David Ortiz do in his next at-bat?
He lays down a bunt. Yes, a bunt to beat the infield shift. And it was a perfect one as he sped over to first base and laughed upon reaching safely.
He advanced all the way to third base on a fielder's choice and wild pitch, allowing Will Middlebrooks to drive him in. Strange scene, but Papi got the job done.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-0: That's nine strikeouts for Josh Beckett, marking his new season-high.
Before this start, Beckett's last season high for strikeouts was eight, when it came against the White Sox on April 29. He's really rolling along in this one.
Now, Charlie Furbush is coming into pitch for the Mariners.
End 4th, Red Sox 3-0: Ryan Sweeney added to the Red Sox' lead with an RBI groundout of his own. That would be his 12th RBI of the season.
For a 23-year-old, Beavan has shown a lot of poise, especially against a formidable lineup like Boston's.
5:35 p.m.: Mike Aviles drives in a run with a double to the gap in right field. Now, there's a mound visit for Beavan.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Any notions of a no-hitter were over when Adrian Gonzalez' backhanded flip to Josh Beckett at first base went awry. Beckett went on to allow another single.
Even so, the right-hander settled down and escaped the situation with allowing a run. He's on pace to toss the rotation's fifth straight dazzling outing. So far, Beckett has an impressive seven strikeouts.
End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: With that homer, Ortiz now has 386 career long balls, passing Dwight Evans on the all-time list.
But that would be the only run of the inning that Beavan would allow, since he would go on to strikeout Adrian Gonzalez and Will Middlebrooks in that frame.
5:12 p.m.: On a full count, David Ortiz blasts a solo shot over the right field wall. It marks his eighth homer of the season.
Mid 3rd, 0-0: Josh Beckett looks to be atoning for last week's miscues, and in that inning, he racked up another three strikeouts to pass Bruce Hurst on the Red Sox' all-time list.
Lost in the shuffle of the game is that Beckett is pitching with Jarrod Saltalamacchia as his catcher. For most of the season, Kelly Shoppach has caught Beckett.
Now, Beckett has been forced to develop a rhythm with him and so far, so good.
End 2nd, 0-0: For the third time since he was called up last Thursday, Daniel Nava was plunked. All the bean balls have been with him batting from the left side of the plate.
It may hurt, but it's raising his OPS even higher than it already was heading into the game.
With two men on, Beavan escaped the jam, getting Mike Aviles to pop up while striking out Ryan Sweeney.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: With that strikeout, Beckett notched his 1,043rd career strikeout as a member of the Red Sox, tying him for sixth place on the all-time list with Bruce Hurst.
It was impressive, considering he had to wait in the drizzle for five minutes as the umpires reviewed Justin Smoak's near-homer to right field.
After video replay, the crew ruled the ball foul. It certainly seemed very close to a homer.
4:35 p.m.: Mike Aviles had a web gem type play, making a diving snag and pinpoint toss to first base to get Seager.
End 1st, 0-0: That was a 29-pitch inning for Beavan. His walk to Adrian Gonzalez didn't help his cause.
Also, a day after Dustin Pedroia's 14-game hit streak was snapped, the second baseman looked to start a new one with a single.
In between the first inning, the video board showed Derek Lowe congratulating Wakefield on his retirement.
Mid 1st, 0-0: As former teammates were hugging Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett sprinted to the mound and didn't receive any boos.
And he held his own, striking out Dustin Ackley to start the game. It's the second straight game that Ackley has struck out swinging to start it off.
Also, this is Josh Beckett's 32nd birthday.
4 p.m.: The Red Sox are celebrating Tim Wakefield day and did so by bringing back many of the children from his charity, Wakefield's Warriors, that he helped along the way.
He's been very emotional and has openly weeped. Now, they're reuniting him with ex-catcher Doug Mirabelli.
Wakefield tossed the game's first pitch to Mirabelli and, of course, he tossed a knuckleball.
2:31 p.m.: Here are the lineups.
Red Sox
Ryan Sweeney, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Cody Ross, RF
David Nava, LF
Mike Aviles, SS
Josh Beckett, P
Mariners
Dustin Ackley, 2B
John Jaso, C
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Jesus Montero, DH
Kyle Seager, 3B
Justin Smoak, 1B
Mike Carp, LF
Michael Saunders, CF
Munenori Kawasaki, SS
Blake Beavan, P
8 a.m. ET: After unraveling in his last start for the Red Sox (16-19), Josh Beckett caught heat for his off-the-field exploits. He'll aim to make amends for the atrocious start with a strong outing in the second game of the two-game series versus the Mariners (16-21).
Beckett, who is 2-4 with a 5.97 ERA, has a 6-2 record with a 3.39 ERA lifetime against the Mariners as he attempts to extend the team's four-game winning streak.
The right-hander will take on Blake Beavan, who is 1-3 with a 4.32 ERA. In his last appearance, Beavan only lasted three innings after after being pelted in the elbow with a line drive.
For more details and analysis from Fenway Park, follow NESN.com's live blog. Tune into NESN's pregame show at 3 p.m. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
