The Starter:
This is the Josh Beckett we paid for (lest any Yankee fans you encounter are obsessing over how Hanley is doing for the Marlins). Crazy, wild, awesome performance from Beckett, who struck out 7 in 7 to improve to a ML best 6-0.
The 'Pen:
All right. I still and will continue to be a believer in Francona's newfound ability to manage a pitching staff. But I'd almost like to see Okajima give up a run in like a 3-1 game just so Tito is less tempted to Proctor him. That being said, the AL Rookie of the Month showed em why, despite some command troubles early in his outing. What can I say about Mike Timlin? He didn't make that one look easy, and had WMP been out there, might not've made that one at all.
The Lineup:
Clicking along, no one went without a hit tonight. Lugo reached twice, stole a base, and knocked in two. Papi doubled, Cora knocked in two, and Coco smoked the ball all night, with two hits, and reaching on a two-base error by ex-Athletic Ryan Langerhans.
The Field:
The A's weren't very good in the field tonight. The Sox did all right. Lowell made an awkward, heads-up, sliding/tackling play on Mike Piazza at 3B to get the lead "runner". Anyone in the know knows that Lowell might feel worse about Piazza's shoulder injury than anyone, and we wish him a swift recovery. The play of the night, however, came in the 9th inning. Coco has a knack for saving Mike Timlin's...something. You all might remember the image below.
Crisp gets it. Potentially game-saving catch, and hit the ball hard all night long. Truly a team effort, and hard not to give it to Beckett for a great outing.
None.