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The pitching matchup lived up to its hype. Josh Beckett outdueled Derek Lowe for a 3-0 Boston win and evened the series.

The two teams remained scoreless through four, but the Red Sox broke the tie in the fifth when Nick Green doubled in a run following a fly ball that was dropped by Nate McLouth. They added another run in the sixth on an RBI single by Kevin Youkilis, and a third run in the seventh on a fielder's choice by Dustin Pedroia that brought home a run.

Derek Lowe: L (7-5), 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K

Lowe allowed just one hit through four scoreless innings but fatigue apparently ate away at him from then on until he was removed after 6.1. He threw 110 pitches. I didn't expect such an early exit after seeing his first four innings but the pitch count got to him.

The Braves scattered five hits with no one recording a multi-hit game. The 2-5 hitters each had a hit but they never really threatened except the eighth inning, and Jeff Francoeur quickly put an end to that with a double play.

Notable Red Sox:
Josh Beckett: W (8-3), 9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Nick Green: 2-3, RBI

Notable Stat:
0 walks for Braves

Why Jeff Francoeur Sucks:
Killed the only threat with a DP just because he can.

Next Game:
6/21: @ Red Sox, 1:30 (Jair Jurrjens vs. Tim Wakefield)