OK Josh, my boy. How about we consider the last outing a mulligan. Just a one-start vacation. Sound good?

It does to Sox fans. After dominating most of the season, Josh Beckett was the recipient of awful luck for two starts, the second a complete game, 1-0 loss to Fausto Carmona (Fausto! You just want to say that name like a Seinfeldian villan, don’t you?).

Josh could use a strong start to prove he’s still on track.

That was no big deal. The last start was. The Sox really could have used a win. Instead, they got a game in which Beckett gave up five runs. On a whopping nine hits. To Baltimore.

Ouch. Puts a little damper on the 13-5 record and 3.49 ERA, doesn’t it?

That’s why Sox fans need it to be a blip on the radar screen, a simple one-time slip up. That’s why Sox fans need a big Beckett win on the road in a place where they’ve needed all the help they can get.

Of course, they need all this because it’s impossible to count on Curt Schilling remaining the team’s ace coming off the DL. His rehab has been impressive, sure. Let’s see how the Anaheim game goes tomorrow before we crown him our once and resurgent ace. Really, the Sox could use Beckett to become that guy right now first, and let Schill hit his typically dominant stride heading to October.

If that happens, Boston will have not one, but two clutch LCS and World Series pitchers, both of whom are legitimate aces. That’s almost impossible to counter.

– Cameron Smith