Red Sox @ Royals: Will the road woes continue?

Josh Beckett will take the mound tonight as the Sox look to improve on a 24-33 road record. Beckett will also be looking to avoid losing his 4th straight start - something he's never done before.

Gil Meche and Co. held the Sox to just 2 runs last night, making things even more difficult for the you Clay Buchholz. I doubt Josh Beckett had much sympathy for him, since the Sox have lost 5 of 8 games in which Beckett has held the opposing team to 2 runs or less.

Lack of run support has been a problem for Beckett, but the Sox road woes are a larger concern. After outscoring the A's 19 to 5 this weekend the Sox now average 5.6 RPG at home and just 4.3 RPG on the road. Normally, four runs would be enough for Beckett, the 2008 season has been a roller coaster for Beckett.

Last time out he gave up 8 runs (7 earned) on 11 hits to the Angels. The starts before that he held the to just 1 run over 7 innings. Bottom Line: Beckett has not been the "sure thing" he was in 2007. He is however, 2-0 in 4 starts against KC with a 2.33 ERA. He's also 1-0 in two starts at Kauffman Stadium with a .195 BAA...

The Royals will counter with Brian Bannister who has also dropped three consecutive decisions. He is 0-3 with an 8.19 ERA and .346 opponent batting average over his last six starts while pitching through the sixth inning just once in that span.

Bannister likes to pitch for contact, which, as of late, has resulted in games like his last start versus Oakland. Bannister lasted five innings giving two runs on eight hits and SEVEN walks - the Royals eventually won 4-3 in 10 innings.

Bannister is 0-2 with an 8.74 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox, including an 11-8 loss at Boston on May 22, when he was tagged for seven runs and 12 hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Bottom Line: The tables have turned and the Red Sox have the upper hand tonight. Mike Lowell is also expected to be back, so I'm hopeful for a win.

Who to Watch: Most of the Royals either haven't seen Beckett or ran into him during his dominance last season, but Jose Gullien is 6-19 (.316)... JD Drew (.375), David Ortiz (.333) and the red-hot Dustin Pedroia (.333) all his Bannister well and each have a homer off of him... though no Red Sox player has more than 8 at-bats against him.