Beckett allowed nine base runners (including six consecutive second-inning hits) and eight runs (seven earned) while recording just four outs in the third-briefest start of his career, longer only than two one-inning appearances with the Marlins, one of which was abbreviated because he strained his elbow. His cameo was the beginning of a woeful night of baseball in which the Yankees sent 21 men to the plate over the second and third innings on their way to a 13-5 pounding of the Red Sox before the largest crowd of the season (55,246) in the Bronx.
Asked if Beckett has any health issues, manager Terry Francona said, ``No. He had some hit issues. But not health issues."
The Yankees, though decimated by injuries, cranked out double-digit hits (11) for the 12th consecutive game, eclipsing a club record set by the 1937 team. That helps explain why the Bombers are a season-high 12 games over .500, having won 8 of 10. Johnny Damon, whose night was microcosmic of the proceedings, reached base four times by the end of the fourth inning.
All told, the Yankees had 22 base runners by way of hit (11), walk (10), or hit batsman (1).
Beckett, in his last two starts -- also at Toronto -- has lasted just 6 innings total, allowing 15 runs (14 earned) on 17 hits, six of them home runs. The two homers he provided some oomph behind last night, both of the three-run variety, increased his season total to 16 (entering last night, the major league high was 17, shared by the White Sox' Jon Garland and Baltimore's Bruce Chen).
All 16 homers have come on the road, in 45 innings. He has yet to allow a homer in 25 innings at Fenway. (He doesn't have any explanation for that.) He's 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA in four starts at home, while he's 4-3 with a 7.00 ERA in eight road starts for an overall record of 7-3 and 5.27 ERA. As bad as Matt Clement has been at times and as good as Beckett has been at times, the Sox have nearly the same record when Clement starts (6-5) as they do when Beckett starts (7-5).
Those 16 homers have accounted for 34 of the 45 runs scored on Beckett.
