Josh Beckett delivered another stellar performance last night. Despite the loss, he went eight innings against the Orioles, giving up only five hits, two runs and striking out five, while not walking a single bird.
It marks the fifth straight start in which Beckett has gone at least seven innings.
But a lot of the talk after the game was about not talking. The fact that Beckett skipped out of the clubhouse before speaking with the media. Here's my take on that:
Obviously, in a perfect world, Josh Beckett speaks to media after every start. After all, there's generally no more important character in any game than the starting pitcher, and in a night where Beckett went eight innings, you figure his voice is pretty essential in telling the story.
Then again, who cares?
Listen, it's one thing if Beckett sucked. Sure, he was the pitcher of record, but his performance was amazing. It's not like this is LeBron or Wade bailing on the podium after back-to-back losses in the Eastern Conference Finalslosses that were due in large part to their failure to step up when the game was on the line. No, Beckett was great. He had nothing to answer for. And as it is, I assume he's pretty frustrated about the fact that his teammates have now scored a combined seven runs in his last three starts. Maybe he was better just sneaking out the door, letting off some steam and not having to worry about watching what he says or who he says it to.
More than anything, I can't believe I'm defending Josh Beckett.
Boston Red Sox
But I am. That's what happens when you pitch like he has been recently. Nothing else matters, and hopefully it can stay that way.
Rich can be reached at rlevine@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Rich on Twitter at http:twitter.comrich_levine