Ortiz To Media: 'Take It Easy' With Beckett
BOSTON (CBS) – David Ortiz has a simple message for those that cover the Red Sox: Lay off Josh Beckett.
"You guys, you guys need to take it easy. We are human here. We come here to play the game; we try to do the right thing. But we have a personal life too; we're human like everyone else," Ortiz said after Beckett tossed seven shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners, leading the Sox to a 5-0 victory Tuesday afternoon.
Ortiz: 'Take It Easy' With Beckett:
Beckett struck out a season-high nine batters on Tuesday, as the Sox won their fifth straight.
"Josh is a great pitcher," said Ortiz. "Like everyone else he's going to have days when he struggles, and he's going to have good days like today. Hopefully he has more good days than days he struggles."
Read: Beckett Silences Critics... For Now
"Beckett always gives everything he has whenever he goes out there," the Sox DH added.
Ortiz took exception to the media and fans criticizing Beckett for hitting the golf course two weeks ago, just a day after he was scratched from a scheduled start.
But on Tuesday, Ortiz saw the Beckett that had won fans over with dominating, big-game performances, even if it was just the lowly Mariners.
"It was great. The minute I saw him throw the first pitch I knew he was going to throw a good game," Ortiz said. "He had attitude, he had his stuff going. It was good; we needed that."
