Beckett's next start is delayed

Team wants to determine source of arm numbness

BALTIMORE - Because of the tingling and numbness that Josh Beckett has been experiencing in his right arm since waking up Sunday, the Red Sox have pushed back his next start from Saturday to Tuesday.

"Any time something's wrong with your arm when you're a baseball player, or especially a pitcher, you obviously think the worst first," said Beckett, sounding somber and concerned. "I've been kind of reassured by people that it's not [serious]."

Still, Beckett is undergoing testing to determine the source of the discomfort. He said he slept awkwardly on the arm before Sunday's start against the Blue Jays, in which he gave up 8 runs in 2 1/3 innings. But the numbness has persisted.

"Just something I've been dealing with," Beckett said. "At some point in time, just got to figure out what the [heck] it is. Obviously, it's not what I want, but I think at this juncture, it's something that needs to happen. Obviously, there's something going on."

Beckett said the numbness is in his pinky and ring finger, though it has improved since Sunday. There is "not very much pain at all with it," he said. "You've got to figure out what the [heck] it is. You don't want it to get so bad to where it ends up being a really bad problem."

This isn't exactly a new situation for Beckett. While he said he has never dealt with it "on that level," including on a day he's been on the mound, it is something that he and the team have monitored over time.

Beckett will not have to leave the team for tests at this point, as assistant trainer Mike Reinold will work on determining the problem. Asked if he has undergone an arthrogram - a test in which dye is inserted to get a picture of a joint - Beckett said, "No, I haven't. I'm not a big fan of those arthrograms. I think they cause a lot of unneeded soreness. If it gets to that point, we'll do what we need to do. I don't think that's what it is."

Manager Terry Francona, who revealed the issue in his media session before last night's game, had said Sunday that there were no health-related reasons for Beckett's poor start.

"Because of [the arm problem], he threw the ball well but he didn't locate," Francona said yesterday. "We really want him to go through his five-day cycle, day one, day two, day three. So just to be cautious, we had him not throw a ball for a few days. We'll wait. He may pick [up] the ball tomorrow, maybe Thursday play catch.

"It's funny, 'cause somebody asked me if he was healthy. I don't want to lie. I kind of alluded to the fact that he wouldn't make excuses. 'Cause he said, 'This has nothing to do with the way I pitched.' It probably did. But it wasn't also something I think we were real worried about."

The rotation for the weekend series in Toronto will be Paul Byrd, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Because the team has a day off tomorrow, it wasn't particularly difficult to move up the other starters to accommodate Beckett's absence.

As for his start Tuesday, against the Yankees in New York, Beckett said, "I don't know. It's still seven days away, so we'll see."

Pedroia called out

His head was turned, he was walking back to the dugout, and still Dustin Pedroia managed to get ejected last night. Pedroia thought he had drawn a walk on a 3-and-1 pitch in the eighth inning, but first base umpire Alfonso Marquez signaled that he had gone around as Pedroia headed to first. The second baseman, clearly chagrined, went back to the plate. He grounded out to shortstop and on his way off the field yelled some choice words. That was it, as plate umpire Bob Davidson tossed him. "I checked my swing, I was running down to first, and I just looked up," Pedroia said. "Alfonso kind of took a swing himself, like that's how I swung. Kind of showed me up, and I didn't really appreciate that. I grounded out, and just running back to the dugout said some things, and he just threw me out. No big deal. It was stupid on my part to get thrown out. We already took Sean [ Casey] out of the game, so I'll learn from it." The ejection led to some defensive maneuvering, as Kevin Youkilis went back to third base, where he had started the game. Youkilis had moved to first when Casey came out for defense. Jeff Bailey entered at first, with Jed Lowrie moving to shortstop and Alex Cora to second . . . With two stolen bases last night, Jacoby Ellsbury now has 40 on the season. It's the eighth time a Red Sox player has had that many in a season, and Ellsbury is the sixth to do it. He is the first Sox player with 40 steals since Otis Nixon had 42 in 1994 . . . Pedroia hit his 40th double, marking the sixth time in Sox history a second baseman has reached that mark. The last to do it was Jody Reed in 1991, when he had 42.

Drew sits again

J.D. Drew was out of the lineup again with a back problem that surfaced Sunday. Francona said Drew was improving . . . The Sox signed outfielder Jason Lane to a Triple A deal. He hit .236 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs for Scranton, the Triple A affiliate of the Yankees . . . With his second-inning solo home run, Jason Varitek tied Carlton Fisk for most consecutive seasons (seven) with 10 or more home runs by a Sox catcher. Varitek has the most 10-homer seasons for a Sox catcher overall, with 10 . . . Orioles All-Star closer George Sherrill was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder inflammation.

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com