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| AP Photo/Elise Amendola |
This morning we opined that Beckett and the offense needed to perform
big time in the Fenway opener —well, they both were about as effective as they could be in a
12-2 shellacking of the Devil Dogs from Tampa. Beckett essentially re-invented himself on the fly by becoming a "pitch-to-contact" efficiency expert—going eight solid innings and yielding just one run. The offense, invoking the patience that used to be its hallmark, coaxed 83 pitches out of fire-balling David Price in just three innings. The result was a 4-1 advantage. Then, in the eighth, the Sox batted around for eight runs to put it out of reach—even for Mark Melancon (who coughed up a solo shot in the 9th). This is exactly the start Boston needed at home to take the bloom off the Black September Rose. The only potential
massive downside is the condition of Jacoby Ellsbury, who left the game after injuring his right shoulder breaking up a double play.
