More on Beckett's health, injection

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

Though Sox officials downplayed the severity of Beckett's injury at the time, the fact that the pitcher had an injection suggests the ailment was more severe than originally anticipated. Beckett has spoken little about his health since the problem, but he looked nothing like himself in a 106-pitch, five inning stint during the Los Angeles Angels in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.

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

Beckett, of course, 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 somewhere between Sept. 26 (when he strained his oblique in the home bullpen at Fenway Park) and Oct. 1, when the Sox opened the playoffs in Anaheim.

According to a team source, Beckett has not needed any additional injections since pitching in Game 3 against the Angels.