Josh Beckett picked up his first loss for the Red Sox in Cleveland tonight, and it was a mighty big one. In three and two-thirds, the Indians hit Beckett for nine runs, eight of them earned, on six hits and five walks. He gave up three home runs, including a grand slam to Ben Broussard in the first inning and a three-run shot to Victor Martinez in the fourth.

Beckett’s loss certainly cannot be blamed on a lack of run support (not that anybody has tried to), but when he left in the fourth, Boston was “only” behind 9 – 1. Between the heavy-hitting potential of the Boston lineup and the relatively poor start Paul Byrd has had for the season, the Sox were, theoretically capable of catching Cleveland. Prior to tonight’s game, Byrd’s season ERA stood at 9.15, with a 2 – 2 record.

Certainly the roster has changed since last season, but you expect more of the team that lead the league last season in runs, hits, batting average, on-base percentage, and trailed only homer-happy Texas in slugging with the sixth-most home runs of any team. So far this season, Boston is in the bottom third of the league, at number 22, in run production. They are twentieth in home runs, with only twenty-two hit so far. As a team, they are only hitting .260 and can only muster an average of .237 with runners in scoring position.

However, the Boston bats have had a sickening way of looking like they’re not even trying when they’ve trailed this season. Including their win on Tuesday, Boston has scored a total of eleven runs in this series at Jacobs Field. That’s eleven runs in three games against a team whose pitchers currently have one of the worst team ERAs (24^th, at 5.43). In the meantime, Boston’s three top starters have had sixteen earned runs in sixteen innings. Between passed balls and other defensive errors and Boston’s bullpen, another twelve runs have been allowed. As bad as that is, however, it is more disturbing that after starting out with a deficit in the first inning, the Sox have not been able to get on board with a run until the fourth in either of their last two games.

In yesterday’s loss, they started out down 3 – 0 when Willy Mo Peña hit a homerun in the fourth inning. It was Boston’s only run, however, and they stranded twelve base runners in what turned into a 7 – 1 loss. Today, the Sox were already down 6 – 0 before Jason  Varitek scored their first run on a double from Mike Lowell. After Beckett allowed three more runs in the bottom of the inning, they only sent two more men home (both on RBI singles for David Ortiz) while leaving fifteen runners on base this time in a 15 – 3 blowout.

Perhaps there will be some respite in Tampa Bay this weekend when the Sox take on the Devil Rays. However, Boston needs to bust out of this hitting slump and stop leaving the runners they do have stranded, particularly if they have some pitching difficulties to overcome.

And, oh yeah- Lasorda for Commissioner.