All in all, Josh Beckett is taking some positive things from his rehabilitation start for the Pawtucket Red Sox against the Syracuse Chiefs before a crowd of 10,211 Saturday night at Alliance Bank Stadium.
The two-time all-star and former World Series MVP felt fine physically, he said. There were no problems with his lower back that’s kept him on the disabled list since May 18.
His velocity was good, topping out on the radar gun several times at 94 mph. After struggling with his breaking ball early in the game, Beckett felt it got better as he went along.
So, after giving up five hits and three runs in four-plus innings during what eventually was a 9-5 victory for the Chiefs, is Beckett ready to rejoin the parent Boston Red Sox?
“That’s not my decision,” he said. “I’ve said that all along. I can’t get in the way of their decision.”
Beckett, who went 1-1 with a 7.29 ERA in eight starts for Boston before he was sidelined with the injury, said what he needs now is a good bullpen session to work out some kinks. He struck out three Chiefs and walked one.
“I’m still just not sharp on every pitch,” he said. “The adjustments take a little longer than I’d like.”
He struggled commanding his off-speed pitches, mainly his curveball, early in the game.
“I was kind of powering it through instead of just letting it work,” he said. “I think in the middle innings, it came. I threw some good ones.”
Beckett plans to fly to Boston today and travel with the Red Sox to Oakland. Whether he pitches Thursday remains to be seen.
Boston manager Terry Francona has left the door open for Beckett to return.
“If he’s ready to come back and pitch for us, he will,” Francona said to MLB.com before Saturday’s start. “If he’s not, we’ll let him have another rehab start.”
Carlos Maldonado got the Chiefs started with a solo home run off Beckett in the third inning. Boomer Whiting then singled, stole second and scored on a single by Chase Lambin.
Beckett shook off his catcher, Mark Wagner, several times throughout the game. It wasn’t because he was uncomfortable with the pitch selection.
“As a catcher, he gets a feel for what’s working for me and, sometimes, they have a tendency to go with what’s working,” Beckett said. “For me, I wanted to work on some things.”
Beckett started the fifth inning, but after allowing a single to Luis Ordaz and a walk to Maldonado he was removed from the game after throwing 81 pitches, including 51 strikes. Ordaz eventually scored on an infield out; the run was charged to Beckett.
“His stuff is really good,” Chiefs manager Trent Jewett said of Beckett. “Fortunately, we made him throw a lot of pitches.”
Jewett said his players can gain a lot from facing major league pitchers such as Beckett and Clay Buchholz, who pitched Friday against the Chiefs.
“When you face the elite you gain a lot of experience and you also realize you’re a lot closer than you think sometimes,” he said. “I think at times it can be inspirational and make you work harder when you realize there’s not that big a gap.”
Syracuse fell behind 4-3 but a five-run seventh inning, highlighted by a grand slam home run by Seth Bynum, proved to be the difference.
Collin Balester earned the win in relief of Shairon Martis.
Tom Leo can be reached at email@example.com or 470-6013
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