Beckett stayed off beaten path

No matter that the numbers -- 6 2/3 innings, nine hits, five runs (four earned) -- hardly matched those from his first three starts this season, in which he had given up just three runs total. No matter that Josh Beckett barely acknowledged any changes in his mechanics or game plan between his first two innings, in which he allowed four runs, and his next 4 2/3, in which he set down 10 straight and 14 of 15.

His pitching coach, with whom he had a three-hour barbecue lunch in the offseason, was more than happy to point out the obvious. That the differences between the first two innings and the last innings and the differences between Beckett last season and this season are nearly the same. His curveball. His off-speed pitches. The complementary pieces that make his fastball look even faster.

"Once [he got to] the third and into the seventh inning, he got a much better feel for his curveball," John Farrell said after the Red Sox' 7-5 win over the Yankees . "And his fastball was explosive all day long. That kind of combination is going to give him the advantage. The one thing that's been most impressive about Josh is just his consistency in taking three pitches into a game and not just having to rely on velocity."

That last part sounds familiar.

"Hitters didn't have to respect any secondary pitches that he has," Farrell said of Beckett's 2006 campaign. "He's now throwing those for strikes, so he's forcing them to swing a bat when he offers both his curveball and his changeup. And when you're throwing mid- to upper 90s, I think any hitter -- regardless of where they hit in the lineup or who they hit for -- they're going to have to respect that and they can't just sit on one pitch."

And though Beckett's latest start wasn't as dominant as his first three, it was good enough to tame the red-hot Yankee bats and push his record to 4-0. Plus, it augured better things for the righthander against the Sox' biggest rival, against whom he went 2-2 with a 9.45 ERA last season.

"I don't really think I struggled in the first couple of innings," Beckett said. "I thought I was throwing the ball well and they got a couple of well-placed hits in the first inning, cost me a couple of runs. I made a couple more mistakes later in the game that cost me a couple more runs. But a win is a win, and as much as you would like to shut every team out, it's probably not going to happen."

Over his first inning-plus, Beckett gave up five hits (Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano in the first; Kevin Thompson, Melky Cabrera in the second). But starting with a double-play ball off Jeter's bat in the second, Beckett appeared to turn it around, to utilize the tutelage of Farrell and the advice of catcher Jason Varitek.

"I think I was throwing pretty much the same pitches," Beckett said. "The difference was I was in the windup and not the stretch."

The most amazing part, though, was that he lasted so long. Through the first three innings, Beckett already had thrown 60 pitches. But his next two innings took just 16 pitches to complete.

"I looked at John Farrell about the second inning [and said] if he has one more long inning, we're going to have a five-inning outing, and he ends up getting pretty deep into the game," manager Terry Francona said. "He got his fastball in a little bit to the righthanders, he threw his breaking ball for strikes, and he threw enough changeups to get them off the other pitches."

Not that anyone should get overly excited since the pitcher had a pretty darn good spring in Boston last season, too (he's now 7-1 in April with the Sox). Yet Beckett, as always, wants even more from himself.

"I get so frustrated with myself," Beckett said. "Sometimes maybe I expect myself to be perfect."

No one else is expecting perfection. Very good will do nicely.

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.