Ex-mates remember Beck

SAN DIEGO -- The news of Rod Beck's death, which occurred Saturday in his home in suburban Phoenix, arrived in the visitor's clubhouse before yesterday's game, his former Red Sox teammates learning of his death from members of the Padres who had also played with him.

Beck, 38, pitched in Boston from 1999-2001 during a career that spanned 13 years and 286 saves and brought him to three All-Star Games. The cause of death wasn't known yesterday, but foul play is not suspected. Beck was found when police were called to his home.

"I was absolutely floored when I heard the news," a visibly shaken Tim Wakefield said after the Sox' 4-2 win. "I've had a hard time dealing with it all day.

"He was one of my closest friends on the team at the time when he was here. We used to talk about the game and how to approach it. We used to help each other. When things were going bad he'd always be there for me, and I'd always try to be there for him if things went bad for him. Those years were difficult times for us here."

Josh Bard called the Red Sox clubhouse before the game to let the team know that Scott Linebrink and Trevor Hoffman had learned about Beck's death. Beck played for the Padres in his last two years in the major leagues (2003-04) and left the team during the 2004 season to attend drug rehabilitation.

Four current Red Sox were teammates with Beck in Boston -- Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Doug Mirabelli, and Manny Ramírez.

"Rod was a tremendous teammate," Varitek said. "He absolutely loved the game. He loved competing. He was there early, there late. He was great at what he did. He was a good person and a good person to be around."

Wakefield, who mentioned that his wife and Beck's wife were also close, said he last spoke briefly with Beck at the end of last season after losing touch with him for the past two years.

"I was busy doing something and I said, 'I'll call you back,' " Wakefield said. "I tried to call him back. I never heard from him again."

Primarily a setup man when he joined the Red Sox, Beck's most memorable moment with the team occurred when he allowed a 10th-inning home run to Bernie Williams in the first game of the 1999 American League Championship Series.

"Shooter was a true professional," Wakefield said. "He saved so many games for the Cubs. He succeeded and failed a lot. He knew how to handle situations like that, regardless of whether it was against the Yankees, in a playoff situation. That's what made him, him."

Beck is survived by his wife, Stacey, and two daughters.

Manager Terry Francona confirmed that Kason Gabbard will be called up from Pawtucket to take Curt Schilling's spot in the rotation tomorrow in Seattle, meaning Jon Lester will continue to pitch in Triple A.

"There's not a firm timetable on how many starts [Gabbard] is going to get," Francona said. "We talk to Lester all the time about being the finished product and what he's going to do for us. We like Gabby. I just think if it's going to be two, three starts, whatever it's going to be, keeping Lester on that program, letting him finish out getting back we think is really important."

Gabbard will be placed on the active roster tomorrow, and it is likely David Murphy, the outfielder called up when Schilling was placed on the disabled list, will be sent down. There is also a chance it could be Manny Delcarmen if the team decides to stay with 11 pitchers.

Francona said he spoke with Lester yesterday morning, along with general manager Theo Epstein, pitching coach John Farrell, and Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson, "just to make sure he understood that we were sensitive to the fact of who he is and why we're doing this. I think we had a pretty good conversation.

"If you're doing it with your heart, we would have done it. That had nothing to do with it. It's all baseball. It's just wanting to do the right thing for him. Actually, it was a really tough call. It's hard to [make], but I think we're all comfortable that we did the right thing."

By coming in as a defensive replacement, Kevin Youkilis tied Stuffy McInnis's 86-year-old club record for consecutive errorless games as a first baseman with 119. Youkilis was out of the starting lineup for the second straight day. "I think head to toe he's a little sore," Francona said . . . Varitek recorded a triple in the second inning when his pop fly near the foul line fell in between left fielder Russell Branyan and shortstop Khalil Greene, and the fielders crashed into each other . . . The Chicago Sun-Times reported yesterday the White Sox are close to trading lefthander Mark Buehrle and that the Red Sox are in the hunt. Buehrle, who threw a no-hitter earlier this season, can be a free agent after the season. Asked yesterday if Buehrle was going to be traded to Boston, White Sox GM Ken Williams replied: "Not today." . . . Injured reliever Brendan Donnelly will throw from 120 feet again today in his rehabilitation for a forearm strain. "He is a max-effort [guy]," Francona said. "He can't throw a ball soft. So when you put a guy on the DL, you want him to come back and be strong and you don't want him to go backward. So I guess if anything we're going to lasso him because he just doesn't throw a ball easy." The club hasn't determined when Donnelly would throw off a mound . . . The Red Sox finished their interleague schedule 12-6. The team went 16-2 last season . . . Brad Correll, who had two home runs going into the weekend, became the second player this season with Single A Lancaster to hit four home runs in a game while driving in eight runs Saturday night. Aaron Bates became the first player in the history of the California League to hit four homers in a game May 19 . . . The Sox are making their first trip to Seattle since the debacle last season that saw Francona coughing up blood on a 2-7 West Coast trip, which included a sweep by the Mariners. As Francona ended his postgame availability yesterday, he quipped, "It's a good [manager's] office there. There's probably still blood on the floor. Remember to bring your rubber gloves."

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.