Smokin' ace

[BronxBomberz]

A battle featuring two high-end pitchers in the midst of breakout seasons went the way of the Red Sox, who wore down Padres ace Jake Peavy en route to a 4-2 victory in the rubber match of the three-game Interleague series at PETCO Park on Sunday. It no longer seems to matter which pitcher or team Josh Beckett faces these days. He's been that good. The Padres became his latest victim on a day the right-hander ran his record to 11-1 and lowered his ERA to 3.07.
"I don't know if it's just today," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "He pitched today the way he's pitched pretty much all year. Explosive fastball, good breaking ball -- some changeups at times in the game really kept them off the fastball."
Beckett (eight innings, six hits, two runs and eight strikeouts) has never been an All-Star, but that seems all but certain to change when the squads are unveiled on July 1.


The Official Site of The Boston Red Sox: News: Boston Red Sox News

[Fishercat]

It's amazing how three months can change a trade. Last year, it looked like the Marlins had a future #2 and the best SS in baseball in return for an overhyped fireballer and a decent but overpaid 3B. Now, AS tore his labrum which is nearly impossible to come back from and be good (I think that's what happened), Beckett looks like (almost, Dan Haren is still in the AL) a CY caliber pitcher, and Lowell caught fire early and is still a very good hitter.