Beckett: 'My off-day is my off-day'

Following the Red Sox' 8-3 loss to the Indians, Josh Beckett addressed the controversy surrounding his golf outing May 3, one day after it was announced he would be scratched from his May 5 start due to a sore right lat.

Beckett -- whose 2 1/3-inning outing was his shortest since Aug. 17, 2008, giving up seven runs on seven hits -- would only say that he believed his off day to be of nobody's concern but his own.

"I spend my off-days the way I want to spend them," the starter said. "My off-day is my off-day."

When asked if he could understand why there would be some questions about playing golf in such a situation, he added, "Not on my off-day. We get 18 off-days a year. I think we deserve a little bit of time to ourselves."

Beckett was roundly booed upon being replaced by Andrew Miller with one out in the third inning, having left with the Red Sox holding a 7-1 deficit. He was questioned whether he believed the reaction was toward him, or the overall state of the team.

"It was directed at me," Beckett said. "I pitched like [expletive]. That's what happens. Smart fans."

As for his performance, which started with a scoreless first inning but was followed with a three-run second and four-run third, Beckett suggested it resembled his first start of the season, in which he allowed seven runs over 4 2/3 innings in Detroit.

"For me, today was a lot like five starts ago -- everything is flat, everything is in the middle," he said. "I think some of the other guys have started to turn the corner.”

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