Sports Redux: One Worryless Day, Thanks To Josh Beckett

We interrupt your regularly-scheduled fretting and Chicken Littling to announce that, despite being only -5 games back, the Red Sox intend to remain competitive in the AL East race.

See, whatever the Yankees do, whether it's fishgutting the Devil Rays, overthrowing the Royals, or....beating the Indians (there's no metaphor we can use there that doesn't make us feel so very wrong), they can't catch the Sox if the Sox keep winning. It's just that simple.

So thank you, Josh Beckett, who dazzled the Orioles for eight innings and almost got the complete game. Thank you, Terry Francona, for going straight to Papelbon when Beckett hit a little jam, saving New England from a slew of Gagne-related seizures. And thank you, offense, for putting six runs up on the board, which is more than enough when Beckett's on his game.

So, with 8 2/3 innings, 8 Ks, no walks and two runs, Josh got to finally give a family-friendly press conference after the game. No false modesty here: "I'm very happy with the way I pitched." We all are, Josh. We all are.

The lead stands at five, the magic number creeps down one game (but who's counting), and we aren't going to spend the day ruing the fact that the Yanks are now virtually tied with Seattle for the wild-card lead. We promise.

There was plenty of low-budget excitement at Fenway yesterday, as the two Sox' affiliates swept the doubleheader of "Futures" Day. The Lowell Spinners won 2-1 on a brilliant pitching performance by Jose Capellan. Then in the nightcap, the Portland SeaDogs outlasted Harrisburg 12-11. Both games were won on walkoff hits.

Curt Schilling goes against Steve Trachsel today in the series finale in Baltimore. And a full house heading to Foxborough still doesn't know whether they're going for a soccer match or the return of Beatlemania.

Beckett picture courtesy of Flickr's Minneapolis Red Sox.