Red Sox vs. Blue Jays
7:07 PM EST
BOS: RHP Josh Beckett (3-0, 1.29 ERA)
After winning his third game in as many starts to open the season, a career first, Beckett looks to extend his streak to four as he faces the Blue Jays for the second time this season. In Boston's home opener April 11, the right-hander held Toronto to three hits and one run over seven innings, walking four and striking out two in a 5-3 Red Sox win. Beckett has thrown exactly seven innings in each of his three previous outings.
TOR: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
Minus two pitches that resulted in home runs for Chicago's Paul Konerko, Burnett's first outing of the year was relatively successful on Saturday. The right-hander struggled some with consistency and gave up four runs -- all from the two homers -- on seven hits in six innings. Burnett threw 57 pitches in the first two innings, but recovered and tallied 38 more across his final four frames. He has never faced Boston in his career.
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/73/ph2774179hp.jpg vs. http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/741/ph1503598al.jpg
Former teammates ready to square off
Boston (11-5) at Toronto (7-7), 7:07 p.m. ET
By Mike Petraglia / Special to MLB.com
It will be a Florida Marlins reunion when Josh Beckett, looking for his fourth win in as many starts for the Red Sox, opposes Toronto's A.J. Burnett Friday night in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Rogers Centre.
Beckett has been as advertised since being acquired last November along with Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota from the Marlins in exchange for Hanley Ramirez and three Minor League pitchers. He is 3-0 for the first time in his career and will try to match teammate Curt Schilling as a four-game winner.
Burnett is making just his second start for Toronto since signing a five-year, $55 million contract as a free agent in the offseason. In his debut last Saturday, delayed because of a right elbow injury, Burnett allowed two homers but settled down to last six innings.
Lowell played with both Beckett and Burnett in Florida and will try to give his new teammates a quick scouting report on Burnett.
"Heat, he throws hard," said the Sox third baseman. "He's a guy who's going to come after you and if he's got his stuff, it's going to be tough, but we still have a good team. [if] one day, we don't swing the bats well, [it] doesn't mean that we're not going to swing them well Friday so we have Josh throwing and hopefully he keeps doing what's he's been doing and we should be fine."
Beckett will try to continue a trend that has seen Red Sox starters work at least seven innings in five of the last seven games. Over that stretch, Sox starters have posted an impressive 2.16 ERA, allowing just 12 earned runs over 50 innings.
Despite Thursday's loss to Tampa Bay, Boston still boasts the best record in the American League at 11-5. Friday's contest is also the opener of a three-city, nine game road swing that will continue through Cleveland and Tampa Bay before the club returns home May 1 to play the Yankees.
Player to watch
Kevin Youkilis has led off the game with an extra-base hit in each of the last two games. In his nine games as Boston's leadoff hitter, replacing the injured Coco Crisp, Youkilis has gone a combined 4-for-8 (.500) with a walk to leadoff a game. He also has a .463 on-base percentage overall this year batting in the top spot in the order.
Two prized offseason acquisitions and former teammates going head to head. Go Sox!