As I’m typing this, Beckett is about to close out the game against the Royals, pitching against Billy Butler. He’s been absolutely dominating today.

Tito had Pap warming up, but it was obvious Becks would finish it out. And he did. That’s his 100th career win. 3 hits, 7K’s and no walks. 95 pitches for a complete game. CC Sabathia dreams of pitching that well while he’s wolfing down that box of donuts. I fully expected the Sox to complete a four game sweep of the Royals. But that first game shocker (6-8 loss) had me nervous. The other 3 were solid wins.

Especially considering how cocky Greg was over in the Yankees blog. Apparently, Greg forgot to look at the schedule before proclaiming the Yankees would be in first in the AL East by the All Star Break. For their last three games, the Yankees played the Angels. And as we all know, the Angels own the Yankees like Dave’s mom owns that street corner. Don’t worry though, a Yankee fan is already typing “26 rings” into a comment box somewhere. Go get Doc Brown and a Delorean to find someone who gives a shit.

Sox are now up 3 games in the AL East. And the rest of the summer will be a tight race. Yankee bats won’t stay quiet. And our pitching is outstanding, now that Dice is gone.

Other notes going into the All Star Break:

•Pedroia has opted out of the All Star break to be with his wife Kelli who is expecting their first child. GUFS wishes the Pedroias the best!

• BostonHerald.com is reporting that Clay Bucholz will start against Toronto in the Sox’s first series following the All Star break. There are a couple of reasons given. One is extra rest for Becks and Wake coming out of the All  Star game. The other is everybody wants to see the kid pitch. But I’ve read some speculation the Sox might be showcasing Clay to Toronto as a propective piece of the trade for Halliday. Not likely, but something to consider.

• Aaron Bates proved invaluable in the series against the Royals. Bailey went out with an injury, and Bates got the call from Pawtucket. So far in the majors, he’s batting .364. Not going to last, but an impressive start for sure. Let’s see what Tito does after Bailey comes back off the DL. You can read a full breakdown of Bates’ heroics here.

See everybody on the other side!