By SeanMcAdam
CSNNE.com
Last season, Josh Beckett could do nothing right against the New York Yankees. Sunday night, he could do nothing wrong.
In his finest start in a long time, Beckett tossed eight scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 as the Red Sox blanked the Yankees, 4-0. Beckett retired the last 14 hitters he faces in succession.
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There was little margin for error for Beckett until the late innings as he nursed a 1-0 lead and his teammates stranded baserunners at an alarming rate.
In the seventh, a two-run, bases-loaded single by Marco Scutaro off Joba Chamberlain provided some breathing room. The Sox added another late run on a booming run-scoring double to center by David Ortiz.
The first run of the night came on an infield single by Mike Cameron off CC Sabathia, the only run allowed by the Yanks' starter.
STAR OF THE GAME: Josh Beckett
Beckett was horrible against the Yankees in 2010, giving up 29 runs in 26 innings and took a bloated 6.26 ERA against the Yankees into the start.
But the Beckett on display Sunday night looked like the Beckett of 2007. He got ahead of hitters, struck out 10, got lots of ground balls to the right side and limited the power Yankee lineup to just two hits -- both singles -- over eight innings.
In his previous start, Beckett needed 106 pitches to get through five innings; Sunday night, against a much better lineup, he got through eight innings with just 103 pitches.
HONORABLE MENTION: Marco Scutaro
Scutaro came into the game with just three hits in 21 at-bats (.143). In his first two at-bats, he worked walks off CC Sabathia.
But his real contribution came in the seventh, when he drove a bases-loaded double to left off reliever Joba Chamberlain, giving the Sox a three-run cushion on a night in which they seemed to waste opportunities nearly every inning.
GOAT: Joba Chamberlain
Chamberlain got CC Sabathia and the Yankees out of a big jam in the sixth getting slumping Kevin Youkilis to ground out with the bases loaded.
But in the seventh, he filled the bases on two walks and a Jason Varitek single before allowing Scutaro's double.
TURNING POINT
Marco Scutaro's two-run double in the seventh turned a 1-0 squeaker into a 3-0 Red Sox lead.
The Red Sox had loaded the bases on walks to David Ortiz and J.D. Drew and a single by Jason Varitek when Scutaro laced a double into the left field corner.
BY THE NUMBERS
Despite the win, the Red Sox managed to strand 16 baserunners, their most since stranding 17 since May 14, 2009 in a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We're four games out with 152 to go..I'm not very smart, but it looks doable. What do you think?" -- Dustin Pedroia
Sean McAdam can be reached at smcadam@comcastsportsnet.com.Follow Sean on Twitter at http:twitter.comsean_mcadam
