PHILADELPHIA -- In his second start on his Redeption Tour, Josh Beckett was once again spectacular.
Beckett allowed just one run on seven hits in 7 23 innings, pitching the Red Sox to a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and a win of their weekend interleague series.
The Red Sox have won three of their last four and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
Beckett has allowed just one in his last two starts, covering 14 23 innings since he was clubbed for seven runs in just 2 13 innings against Cleveland. That start came after Beckett became embroiled in a public relations fiasco in which he went golfing two days before being skipped in the rotation because of a lat pull.
Of the seven hits that Beckett allowed, four didn't leave the infield. He shutout the Phils through he first seven innings -- extending his scoreless streak to 14 consecutive innings -- before losing his shutout bid on a double, single and sacrifice fly in the eighth.
He was given an early lead in the first when Mike Aviles smashed his second leadoff homer in as many games and third homer overall in the series. Aviles drove in the second run with an RBI single in the second.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia's three-run homer in the third was the big blow, stretching the Boston lead to 5-0. All five runs came off Cliff Lee, who entered the game with a 1.95 ERA.
Boston Red Sox
Vicente Padilla got the final out in the eighth and Alfredo Aceves pitched the ninth in a non-save situation.
STAR OF THE GAME: Josh Beckett
Beckett turned in his second straight strong start, allowing just a run over 7 23 innings. When the Phillies scratched out a run in the eighth, it snapped a 14 inning scoreless streak. Of the seven hits allowed, four didn't leave the infield.
HONORABLE MENTION: Mike Aviles
Aviles led off the game with a homer for the second straight day, then added a run-scoring single. Aviles homered in each game of the series and is hitting .400 over his last six games.
GOAT OF THE GAME: Cliff Lee
Lee entered the game with a 1.75 ERA, but was rocked for five runs in the first three innings. He gave up nine hits in seven innings, but that doesn't count another handful of outs that were hard-hit line drives at his fielders.
TURNING POINT
The Sox were leading 2-0 when Jarrod Saltalamacchia smoked a ball over anything to dead center, one of the hardest-hit homers by anyone this season. With two baserunners on, that made it 5-0.
BY THE NUMBERS
Aviles became the first Red Sox hitter to lead off two straight games with homers since Harry Hooper did in 1913.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Was that the longest single in the history of baseball?'' Bobby Valentine, on Josh Beckett's 400-foot single off the center field wall in the seventh inning.