Beckett Faces Halos
The last time the Los Angeles Angels faced Boston’s Josh Beckett, he shut them out. The Red Sox are still waiting for the dominant Beckett to surface in 2008.
Beckett looks to put his first-half struggles behind him and remain undefeated against the Angels when the teams continue their three-game series Saturday afternoon.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Boston -120 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 73% of bets for this game have been placed on Boston –120 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Beckett (9-5, 3.94 ERA) was the only 20-game winner in the majors in 2007, and looked every bit the part in Game 1 of Boston’s AL division series against the Angels on Oct. 3. The right-hander threw a four-hitter, walking none and striking out eight as the Red Sox won 4-0, setting the stage for a three-game sweep and their second World Series title in four years.
The effort improved Beckett to 3-0 with a 1.59 in five career starts versus the Angels, including postseason.
"Beckett was about as good as we’ve seen him," Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said. "I don’t think you’re going to be able to pitch a much better game than that."
In 2008, Beckett hasn’t been able to pitch a game of the same caliber. He has yet to throw a complete game, has allowed four runs or more in six of his 17 outings, and his record is due largely to a 6.43 run support average – second-highest in the AL behind Texas’ Vicente Padilla (6.88). He’s received an average of 9.49 runs in his nine wins.
He also has yet to win three straight starts, but can do so with a win Saturday. Beckett allowed five runs over five innings in his last outing July 9 against Minnesota, but got generous support again and earned an 18-5 win.
Los Angeles (58-38) was the team with the potent offense in Friday’s series opener. Garret Anderson went 4-for-4 with a homer and five RBIs to lead the Angels to an 11-3 victory – their major league-leading 58th of the season. With their third straight win overall, they increased their AL West lead to a season-high seven games over Oakland.
"I’ve been seeing the ball pretty good for a while now," Anderson said. "It’s time I’m getting some results for it. It was good to throw some runs on the board and apply some pressure to them."
Boston, meanwhile, fell one-half game behind Tampa Bay for the AL East lead despite All-Star first baseman Kevin Youkilis’ 16th homer, matching his career high from last season. The Red Sox (57-41) have dropped eight of their last 10 road games.
The Angels’ scheduled starter for this game had been Jon Garland, but his turn got pushed back to Sunday after he woke up Thursday with a stiff neck. Joe Saunders (12-5, 3.07) takes his place for this contest, and gets a chance to become the AL’s first 13-game winner.
Saunders has had success against Boston, going 3-0 with a 2.92 ERA in four starts – all wins for Los Angeles. He defeated the Red Sox at Fenway Park on April 24, when he gave up three runs in six innings of a 7-5 victory.
That outing was part of a 6-0 start for the left-hander, who is just one game above .500 since May 10, and has alternated wins with losses over his last four outings. He lost his last start July 8 at Texas, when he yielded three runs over eight innings of a 3-2 defeat.
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