Josh Beckett Injury Update

The Boston Red Sox scratched their ace from Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels due to a stiff neck. Josh Beckett, who was also recovering from flu-like symptoms, was replaced by David Pauley. Pauley was recalled from Triple-A to make the start.

The good news is that the neck stiffness isn’t believed to be associated with any type of significant injury. The Red Sox expect Beckett to be able to make his next scheduled start.

After helping the Red Sox to a World Series title and being the only major league pitcher to win 20 games last season, Beckett has gotten off to a rocky start in 2008. He was on the DL to begin the season due to a back injury and currently sports a 5.12 ERA in three starts. Last season, he had a 3.27 ERA to go along with 20-7 record.

As a team, the Red Sox are off to a good start. At 14-7, Boston is in first place in the American League East, two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles and 3.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees.