The Red Sox and Rays are locked in a pitcher's duel, with Josh Beckett and Jeff NIemann having given up just two hits total through the first three innings.
For Beckett, everything looks sound physically. His knee hasn't shown any signs of the injury that kept him off the mound in the All-Star game, and the results are certainly there so far. The lone hit against beckett came in the first, when for the second straight at bat a ground ball deflected off his foot. The first time he was able to recover for the out, but the second time the ball found its way much too far away for any play to be made.
Otherwise, the main concern has to be the few long fly balls he's allowed. None have caught any wall or left the park, but he'll want to stop giving them the chance to.
Meanwhile, Jeff Neimann seems to be doing his best Cy Young impression. The Red Sox have been chasing lots of pitches out of the zone the first time through the order, resulting in five early strikeouts for the Tampa Bay starter. The only hit off Niemann was the definition of a seeing-eye single, as Adrian Gonzalez' ground ball found its way past two diving "infielders" to make its way through the shift.