Josh Beckett, Stopper

Granted, the Red Sox haven't done a whole lot of losing this year. But with the team's recent struggles (2-5 in their last 7 before yesterday), Beckett's performance in Kansas City last night was refreshing, and much needed. It got me thinking about Beckett's numbers after a Sox loss, and whether he was living up to his reputation as a big-game pitcher (this being an alternate year where we get the "good" Josh Beckett). Here's a quick look at the numbers. As always, the stats are thanks to baseball-reference.com, I just sift through 'em:

                                                                    
Date       Tm Opp Rslt Inngs     Dec  IP H R ER BB SO HR BF Pit    WPA
Apr5      BOS CLE L1-3  GS-5  L(0-1) 5.0 5 3  3  4  4  0 24 106 -0.148
Apr10     BOS NYY W4-0  GS-8  W(1-1) 8.0 2 0  0  1 10  0 27 103  0.508
Apr16     BOS TOR W4-1  GS-7  W(2-1) 7.0 3 1  1  2  9  0 26 101  0.241
May24     BOS CLE W4-2  GS-7  W(4-1) 6.2 5 1  1  3  6  0 25 111  0.257
Jun15     BOS TBR W3-0   SHO  W(6-2) 9.0 1 0  0  0  6  0 28  97  0.469
Aug18     BOS KCR W4-3  GS-7 W(10-5) 7.0 7 3  3  0  4  1 28 110  0.131

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/19/2011.

That's right - #19 is 5-1 after a Boston loss (in games which he figures in the decision), throwing 42.2 innings (for an average of 7 per game). He's only allowed 8 earned runs, which puts him at an 1.69 ERA in those six starts. Also, take note that three of those wins came in April, one of the worst stretches in recent memory. Not bad for a guy who many were ready to run out of town just one year ago.

Note: A quick definition of WPA in the above chart, according to The Hardball Times - "Win Probability Added. A system in which each player is given credit toward helping his team win, based on play-by-play data and the impact each specific play has on the team's probability of winning. You can read more about WPA in "The One About Win Probability."