Demolition Man, tell your friends I'll demolish ya

Through the first month and a half of the season, the Boston Red Sox vaunted pitching rotation has been complete garbage, to the tune of the worst ERA in the American League.

Dice-K got hurt, Brad Penny has been up and down and most surprising of all, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have been equally terrible.

Last night was a step in the right direction as Beckett and the Sox (22-15) broke a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win at Safeco Field in Seattle.

Beckett (4-2) was not great but he battled through seven innings, throwing a season-high 120 pitches. He gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

Boston teed off on former Orioles' bum Garrett Olson, hitting three home runs and scoring five runs in his six innings of work.

Jason Bay started it off with a two-run bomb in the first, followed by Jason Varitek's two-run blast in the second.

Yuniesky Betancourt (who for some reason seems to kill the Sox) started the Seattle (17-20) comeback with a two-run shot of his own in the second.

Russell Branyan's RBI double in the fourth cut it to 4-3 Boston but Jeff Bailey responded with a solo shot in the fifth for the game's final run.

Miguel Batista pitched three scoreless innings for Seattle.

The Red Sox trio of Hideki Okajima (2 outs), Ramon Ramirez (1 out) and Jonathan Papelbon (10th save) teamed up for two shutout innings.

Boston looks to end the West Coast trip on a high note by winning this series this afternoon.

Punchless in Seattle

When you lose eight of nine on the road including two of three to the worst team in the American League, something is up. Boston slinked out of Seattle (20-34) last night after a 1-0 shutout.

True, the Red Sox (33-24) have run into some great pitching lately (Rich Harden, Justin Duchscherer, Joe Blanton, Felix Hernandez). Last night was no exception as Erik Bedard pitched like he did when he was on the Orioles facing the Sox. Bedard (4-3) threw seven scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while walking three and striking out eight.

On the other side, Boston wasted a great start by Tim Wakefield (who had been shaky at best in his last few starts). Wake went all eight innings, giving up one run on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.

The Mariners no. 9 hitter, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt (2 hits) provided the only run of the game when he hit a solo homer in the third inning.

Sox hitters had six walks but only two hits. Hard-throwing set-up man Brandon Morrow pitched the eighth and closer J.J. Putz walked two in the ninth to make it interesting but Coco Crisp grounded out (with runners on first and second) to end it and earn his sixth save.

Boston has the day off today (which will hopefully allow Kevin Youkilis to get back in the lineup) and then begin a four-game set at Baltimore tomorrow night. The Red Sox need to salvage something from what has thus far been a disastrous trip.