Josh Beckett gave up five home runs to the Detroit Tigers and the Red Sox defense made 2 errors while offensively they scored no runs on seven hits. Â Red Sox fans had the added bonus of getting to see this game on national television with Tim McCarver and Joe Buck calling it. Â So, all in all, a rather painful day.
Bobby Valentine, Josh Beckett and anyone else you could think of asking is still holding to the “there’s nothing wrong with the thumb” meme and that’s absolutely possible. Â Pitchers have terrible games. Some pitchers even have multiple terrible games sometimes for no other reasons than the team they are up against has great hitting. Â Being 0-2 is nothing to start getting upset about just yet.
Sox fans will remember how terrible the 2011 season began but, as even McCarver mentioned yesterday, as bad as the season began and ended, for the majority of it the Red Sox were one of if not the best team in baseball. Â This, of course, is little consolation to Sox fans still thinking about how last year ended and worried about the “non-issue” of Josh Beckett’s thumb. Â But there is value in remembering that it doesn’t matter if your team is 0-2 or 2-0, no season is decided by the first two games.
Clay Buchholz will take the mound at 1:05pm today and Sox fans won’t have to suffer through the Fox broadcasters as the game will be carried on NESN with fan-friendly Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo. Â Every winning streak begins with one win. Hopefully Buchholz will start the streak today.
(Originally published on Examiner.com)