MIAMI -- Exactly what Josh Beckett thought of his start Monday night is uncertain since, for the second straight game, Beckett elected not speak with reporters after his outing.
Chances are, he would have been happy with the job he turned in from the third inning through the seventh, when he allowed just one member of the Florida Marlins to reach base. That came on a one-out walk, three batters before he was done for the night, lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the following inning.
Just as likely, Beckett would have been kicking himself for a first inning in which he allowed base hits to four of the first six hitters, accounting for three runs in a 4-1 Red Sox loss.
"There was a wind out there and he figured out the wind a little late, I guess," said manager Bobby Valentine of his starter. "His two-seamer was just dynamite tonight. It was moving and just about unhittable."
Beckett allowed a leadoff triple to Jose Reyes, followed by a sacrifice fly by Donovan Solano. A single to center by Giancarlo Stanton, a double off the wall in right by Logan Morrison and a bloop single from Gaby Sanchez accounted for two more runs.
"With the roof open," said catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, "his ball was actually moving a lot. His ball was actually moving a lot. He threw that cutter in to Morrison and it kind of didn't get in (enough) and he hit it pretty well. But other than that, he just kind of gave up some weak singles."
The Sox couldn't offer much in the way of support, which should be familiar by now to Beckett, who hasn't won any of his last five starts despite giving up a total of just 13 runs in those five outings.