Josh Beckett knew it was going to be a tough night when he left the bullpen after his pregame warmup. The Atlanta Braves made sure of it just a short time later.
J.D. Drew and Adam LaRoche drove in two runs apiece, and the Braves beat the Florida Marlins 6-1 Friday night and roughed up Beckett for the second time in a week.
``It was just a wasted day in my life, 24 hours I'll never get back,'' a frustrated Beckett said. ``I don't take anything good out of today.''
The Braves improved to 4-0 against Florida this season. The rest of the league is 1-11 against the defending world champions.
Beckett, the World Series MVP, gave up six hits and six runs in five innings and lost his second straight start. The Braves scored four runs on eight hits in 6 1-3 innings against Beckett (1-2) last weekend, two of them coming on Chipper Jones' homer in the first.
Even without Jones, Atlanta jumped on Beckett early again Friday. The All-Star outfielder sat out with a strained right hamstring and is expected to miss the series.
ADVERTISEMENT
Beckett realized he wouldn't have his best stuff after warming up in the bullpen.
Still, he expected to last longer than he did.
``It's upsetting,'' he said. ``It's a shame when you can't compete for seven innings, whether you feel good or you don't feel good.''
Rafael Furcal opened the game with an infield single, moved to third on Dewayne Wise's base hit and scored on Marcus Giles' sacrifice fly. Drew followed with an RBI groundout.
Furcal led off the third with a bunt single and later scored on Andruw Jones' hard-hit single to left. LaRoche followed with a two-run double, making it 5-0.
``He made a lot of mistakes, leaving it over the plate,'' Jones said of Beckett. ``We were looking fastball, and if he throws it, don't miss it. We approached it the right way -- just get hits.''
Beckett estimated he threw four good changeups and two good curves.
As for his fastball?
AP - Apr 23, 10:49 pm EDT
More Photos
``It was all over the place,'' he said. ``Nothing went right for me tonight.
It was one of those days when you walk out of the bullpen and say, 'I hope they
score eight.' ``
Drew hit a solo home run, his second of the year, with two outs in the fifth to extend the lead to 6-0. Beckett was lifted in the bottom of the inning for a pinch-hitter.
Beckett's ERA jumped from 2.21 to 3.91. He has lost three in a row against the Braves going back to last season.
In his last two starts, Beckett has looked nothing like the pitcher who threw two complete games and posted a 2.11 ERA in the postseason. His career record dropped to 18-19 in 52 starts.
``You can't by on anything you did last year or what you did last week,'' Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. ``You've got to do it on a consistent basis.''
Atlanta ace Russ Ortiz overcame early wildness to beat Florida for the second straight time. He allowed a run on four hits and six walks, leaving after 6 1-3 innings. He also struck out six.
He walked the first three batters he faced, although leadoff hitter Juan Pierre was caught trying to steal second. Ortiz (2-2) then got Mike Lowell to fly out and struck out Hee Seop Choi.
``They did a good job laying on pitches and making me throw strikes,'' Ortiz said. ``I found some great rhythm from the second on.''
Ortiz allowed six hits and one run in six innings against Florida last weekend. He gave up just two hits in five innings Friday before working out of a jam in the sixth.
Pierre started the sixth with a double and barely beat Drew's throw home on Miguel Cabrera's double to make it 6-1. Lowell then walked, but Ortiz retired Choi and Jeff Conine on comebackers.
``He made some good pitches,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ``He hadquality stuff, great changeup, good heater.''
Notes
The crowd of 32,477 observed a moment of silence for former Arizona Cardinals
safety Pat Tillman, a specialist with the elite Army Rangers who was killed
Thursday in a firefight in Afghanistan. ... This was Florida's first loss by
more than three runs. ... Florida C Mike Redmond jammed the pinkie finger on
his left hand in the seventh inning, but stayed in the game. X-rays later showed
that he chipped a bone in the finger, but he is not expected to be placed in
the disabled list. ... RHP Justin Wayne stepped on his right index finger in
the ninth and left the game bleeding. ... Marlins closer Armando Benitez got
a rare rest Friday. He threw 5 1-3 innings in the last four gamesand picked
up two saves.