BALTIMORE -- It might be nothing. But what if it is?

Living life without Josh Beckett is a notion Beckett himself has gone to great lengths to leave in the dark recesses of Red Sox fans psyches. It is what drives him, makes him work to the point of iconic status among an entire organization's stable of pitchers.

But Tuesday, standing in front of his locker before what would turn into a 7-2 Red Sox win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, that notion peeked around the corner. Beckett wasn't going to pitch for another week and wouldn't even pick up a ball for a few days.

The 28-year-old's pinky and ring finger on his right hand had been experiencing a tingling sensation since Saturday night, right before one of his most forgettable starts of the season. Beckett wouldn't blame the outing on the ailment, but Sox manager Terry Francona suggested it probably had something to do with the outcome.

"He slept on his arm the other night and he came in and felt some tingling in his fingertips," Francona explained. "I think it didn't help his location."

Beckett wouldn't identify his sleep pattern as the sole cause for the problem, saying it was a "combination of things." (see video in right hand column) Treatment will be administered and tests will be done. It might be nothing. But what if it is?

If you're a Red Sox fan you don't want to think about it.

It is a testament to Beckett that such instances have to actually awaken Sox followers to such mortal matters. He has come a long way since strolling into town wearing the doubts blisters and trips the disabled list put on him back with the Marlins.

This is a guy whose MRI on his right shoulder was of such concern that an insurance company told him it would cover everything but his pitching arm. But what was once perceived as Beckett's curse ultimately turned into somewhat of a blessing.

Beckett was faced with the reality that comes with being a major league pitcher, that shoulders on human beings aren't meant to throw a ball with the kind of violence the greats need to be great. It could go at any time, and those pictures on that doctor's image were doing nothing to temper that fact.

So Beckett took as many matters into his own hands as he could. Each day, starting hours after his last start and ending moments before next one, he exhibited the kind of work ethic that escapes so many of his brethren. Sox strength and conditioning coach Dave Page had seen some of the best in-between-start grinders in the business, such as Randy Johnson, and Beckett's weight room lifestyle matched up with any of them.

All of those disabled list stints the folks in Florida were so quick to pass along upon Beckett's arrival were going to be buried deep in Google searches. There would be bad starts, but doubts about his well-being weren't going to accompany them. And the plan worked. Even with a back hiccup in the spring, the security blanket status Beckett had worked so hard for didn't disappear.

Then came Tuesday.

The issue with his hand might be a non-issue come his next turn to take the mound, in Yankee Stadium. But the definitive fall-out from Beckett explaining himself in front of his locker was the reminder that came with it. It was a nudge that woke many up to the fact that October takes on a whole new vibe without this guy having a healthy pinky and ring finger.

You may have forgotten, but two fingers offered a pretty good reminder -- life without Beckett might be this team's death sentence. It might be nothing. But what if it is?