According to manager Terry Francona, the recent issues don’t necessarily weigh on the players.
“We’re so far into the season. I don’t think our guys wake up and feel like that,’’ he said. “They come to the ballpark and I don’t think they worry about stuff like that. Just do their job. Sometimes your margin for error is a little less when you have guys out. But that’s OK.’’
What about the manager, does he wake up worried?
“Well, probably a little bit,’’ Francona said. “But I have a lot of confidence in our ability to win.’’
Beckett (10-5) made that task easier by allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings. After Beckett gave up three runs in the first two innings, he, Daniel Bard, and Jonathan Papelbon shut the Royals down.
“I started throwing some breaking balls and throwing them for strikes when I needed to throw them for strikes,’’ Beckett said. “I think they were down more, too. I was missing up a little bit early.’’
Beckett said the bullpen mound was steeper than the mound on the field, which led to him needing a few innings to settle in. He left a curveball up in the third inning that Alex Gordon lined over the fence in left.
Beckett felt responsibility to go deep in the game, knowing that the offense has been struggling to score.
“How can you not be tired with the stuff that we went through the last week and a half?’’ he said. “I don’t know how they do it. There’s been several days where a couple of these guys have played and I don’t know how they did it. I want to pick them up.’’
Bard allowed a single in the eighth, but struck out Jeff Francoeur with a 98-mile-per-hour fastball to end the inning. Papelbon then retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out two.
Papelbon, who has 29 saves, has gone 14 innings without allowing a run. He has given up three hits in that stretch without a walk and struck out 15. The closer last gave up a run July 16.
“He’s been unbelievable,’’ Beckett said.
