BALTIMOREAmid swirling reports of players that had attempted a mutiny and clear controversy that brings back memories of the bad old days in Red Sox history, Boston had the problem poster child on the mound in Josh Beckett.
The results were predictable enough.
Beckett was knocked out of the game in the sixth inning to harsh boos from the Sox fan-heavy crowd at Camden Yards, and the team looked all kinds of distracted in a 7-1 thrashing by the Baltimore Orioles. For a Sox team entering a pivotal six-game stretch against AL East opponents above them in the standings, Boston sure didnt look like they had their stuff together.
They also looked like they had the wrong guy on the mound in Beckett.
Omar Quintanilla opened up the scoring in the third inning with a home run off Beckett, and the Sox scratched back with a Carl Crawford RBI single that scored Cody Ross in the top of the fourth. But that was it for the Sox just as the Os were getting started against Beckett in another cruddy outing. Mark Reynolds followed in the fifth with a solo homer to right that again gave Baltimore the lead, and the wheels completely rolled off the wagon in the sixth frame.
After Mike Aviles and Danny Valencia both failed to plate the tying run in a situation that started as first-and-third with one out, Beckett worked himself into a jam before allowing a pair of runs. Valentine lifted him from the game in favor of Mark Melancon, and Reynolds clobbered a three-run job to left field that turned it into a laugher for Boston.
Beckett finished with six earned runs and six hits allowed in 5 13 innings pitched and watched his ERA spike up to 5.19 for the season. Its his fifth straight start without a win and hes now given up 14 hits and 14 earned runs over his last two starts along with five home runs allowed.
Boston Red Sox
The only positive for Boston was the appearance of righty reliever Andrew Bailey, who recorded the final out of the eighth inning while hitting 94-mph on the radar gun in his Sox debut.