Notes: Beckett impresses Francona

03/16/2006
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- While Jon Lester and the Red Sox were falling to the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg, Josh Beckett and the Red Sox were beating the Twins at home, 4-3.
In his second Spring Training start, Beckett went five innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk, while striking out two. It was a sharp contrast to his previous start on March 6 against the Devil Rays, when he gave up five runs in three innings.
"I thought the best way to put it is, I'm glad he's in our uniform," manager Terry Francona said. "I thought he looked strong. He got pretty deep; he got to 78 pitches. He had to work a little bit at times, which is good. I think he felt like he had to work, but he threw a couple of real good breaking balls, a couple real good changeups. His fastball had a lot of life on it."
While Beckett was pleased with his performance, there are some aspects of his game he would like to improve.
"I think I just need to get some more experience with these hitters, particularly in the American League," said Beckett, who was acquired in a trade with the Marlins on Nov. 25.
"[I need to] just kind of find my craft again," he said. "You get four months off, [so] it's kind of tough to come back in and just remember everything, even your routines and stuff. You've just got to pitch a few times to remember what your routine was and stuff that works for you."
Facing the extra hitter in American League lineups will be his biggest adjustment.
"You've got another hitter in the lineup, you're not facing the pitcher," said Beckett, whose record last season was 15-8. "Pitchers can be the hardest people for certain people to pitch to. If you have a lull with the mental aspect of the game at that point, that becomes the hardest person.
"I remember my first year in the big leagues, I couldn't throw a strike to the pitcher. I could certain days, [but] other days, that was the toughest guy, because you've got to stay focused on that guy and remember you've got to stay ahead of him and still get him out."
Beckett will likely appear in the rotation after Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield.
Golden Gonzo: Shortstop Alex Gonzalez, signed as a free agent on Feb. 6, continues to open eyes with his sterling defense.
In the fifth inning on Wednesday, on a Luis Castillo comebacker to Beckett, Gonzalez, while gliding across second base, took the throw from Beckett, made the transfer while in midair to avoid Shannon Stewart, who was barreling in on him. Still airborne, Gonzalez threw to J.T. Snow at first base to complete the double play.
"I've seen him make that play more than a handful of times," said Beckett, who played with Gonzalez on the Marlins. "I don't know anything else, so I can't really compare him to anything. He's always been as good as anybody that I've ever seen."
Cuts coming: Francona said the second round of roster cuts could happen on Friday.
Another Classic return: Infielder Alex Cora, whose Team Puerto Rico was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday by Team Cuba, was expected back in Sox camp on Thursday. Foulke stories: Keith Foulke threw to hitters on Wednesday and is expected to do so again this weekend. Depending upon how Foulke responds, Francona said it is possible the closer could appear in a game on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Huckaby catches Wells: Catcher Ken Huckaby, who caught for Foulke on Wednesday, caught David Wells' three-inning Minor League outing on Thursday.
"If [Huckaby] shows up [Friday] and feels OK, maybe we'll let him catch on Saturday. We'll see," said Francona.

Source: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/