Beckett received shot

He had injection for oblique injury

Josh Beckett appears to be progressing toward full health, but team sources confirmed that the Red Sox pitcher required an injection of a painkiller and anti-inflammatory medication after injuring his right oblique during a bullpen session at Fenway Park on the final weekend of the regular season.

Though Sox officials downplayed the severity of Beckett's injury at the time, the fact that he had an injection suggests the ailment was more severe.

Beckett has spoken little about his health since the problem, but he looked nothing like himself in a 106-pitch, five-inning stint during Game 3 of the Division Series against the Angels.

Prior to that outing, Beckett was 6-2 with a 1.73 ERA in his playoff career, numbers that placed him among the elite for pitchers with at least 70 postseason innings.

Beckett was scratched from a scheduled start on the weekend of Sept. 26-28, an outing that was to be his last of the regular season. He had the injection in his side between Sept. 26 (when he strained his oblique) and Oct. 1, when the Sox opened the playoffs in Anaheim, Calif.

According to a team source, Beckett has not needed additional injections since his last start a week ago.