ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- When Josh Beckett struggled in the first inning Sunday, it seemed like more of the same for the pitcher, who has battled that issue all year long.
Of the 47 runs Beckett has allowed in 2012, 17 of those have come in the first inning. So, his struggles at the start were nothing new.
But this game had extenuating circumstances. Beckett had been battling the flu the last few days, and after taking a prescribed mixture of medicine to combat the symptoms, felt lightheaded at times while on the mound.
"In between pitches,'' recalled Beckett after the Red Sox had beaten Tampa Bay, 7-3, "there were borderline blackout periods. The only thing I can think is it's the medicine. I've taken Z-packs in the past; I don't think I've ever taken them as fast I took this one.''
Whatever it was, Beckett figured it out. While he had some difficulty in the second, allowing two hits and a walk, he kept the Rays off the scoreboard then and for the rest of the outing.
After the second inning, in fact, Beckett allowed just two more hits over his final four innings, improving to 5-7.
"I think he had to get his feet on the ground a little,'' said Bobby Valentine. "He was struggling with it, bu he did one heck of a job putting those goose eggs up. He's a great competitor out there and he wasn't going to let that game get away from him.
"Three runs in the first inning, no doubt there was a little uphill battle. But he figured it out.''
The win continued Beckett's dominance over the Rays, against whom he's undefeated over his last 10 starts, dating to May 10, 2009. In that span, he's 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA.
"He settled down, made his pitches when he needed to and really helped us stay in the game and get the win,'' said Jarrod Saltamacchia. "His sinker was moving really well today, with a mixture of his changeup and curveball.
After the first, his cutter became better and was a pitch we could really use.
''The bullpen was hurting and we needed him to go out and pitch a good game..and he did.''