MIAMI -- Facing his former team for the first time since coming to the Red Sox, Josh Beckett didn't allow a hit in his final five innings of work.
But Beckett was rocked for three runs in the first and another in the second and, in a familiar theme for this season, his teammates offered him little in the way of run support, sending the Red Sox to their fourth straight loss and seventh in their last eight tries, a 4-1 setback to the Florida Marlins.
The Sox collected just five hits -- three of them singles from leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik -- and dropped to three games under .500 for the first time since May 14.
Boston's offense continues to sputter. Only three times in the last eight games have the Red Sox scored more than four runs per game.
Beckett, who pitched the Marlins to a World Series title in 2003, allowed hits to four of the first six batters he faced. A sacrifice fly by Donovan Solano scored Jose Reyes (triple) for the first run. Logan Morrison (double) and Gaby Sanchez (single) produced two more.
A single by John Buck, a sacrifice and a RBI-single by Solano accounted for another run in the second.
The only run off Florida starter Josh Johnson came in the sixth when Podsednik singled with one out, took third on Dustin Pedroia's line double to left and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez.
Boston Red Sox
Beckett, 4-7, retired 19 of the final 20 hitters he faced. But by the third, the damage had been done.