Beckett’s return has Red Sox roll continuing

Despite injuries, Boston has a huge lead in the AL East.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox didn’t need Josh Beckett in the rotation to open up a double-digit lead in the AL East.

It sure is nice to have him back, though.

“It’s not about one player. It’s not about one pitcher,” first baseman Kevin Youkilis said after his homer helped Beckett return from the disabled list and win his eighth consecutive decision, a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians Tuesday night.

With Julian Tavarez and some spot starters filling in for Beckett and Jon Lester, Boston has opened an 111⁄2-game lead in the AL East while proving Curt Schilling right when he said of Roger Clemens, “We don’t need him.”

Nor have the Red Sox missed slugger David Ortiz for the last three games, when they extended their winning streak to five in a row. After resting a “barking” hamstring, he will return tonight, manager Terry Francona said.

“We don’t need Papi,” Youkilis said jokingly. “Save him for the playoffs. If we need a big hit, a walkoff, we’ll bring him in.”

Off disabled list

Beckett (8-0) went on the disabled with a torn flap of skin on his right middle finger.

He returned Tuesday and pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, facing the minimum number of batters in the first six innings before allowing two seventh-inning runs.

“He looks like a guy who hadn’t missed a game,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “We were hoping to make him work a little harder and maybe get him out of there a little earlier, but he had it all going tonight.”

Beckett struck out seven and walked one to become the first Red Sox starter to win his first eight decisions since Roger Clemens opened the 1986 season 14-0. Hideki Okajima pitched the ninth for his fourth save.

Jeremy Sowers (1-5), coming off his only win, allowed four runs on six hits and an intentional walk while striking out one.

Small margin of error

“They basically don’t have a flaw in their lineup, so your margin of error is small,” Sowers said. “You try to keep yourself out of jams where you’re giving up consecutive hits. I thought I did a decent job of that, obviously I could have done a better job of keeping the ball in the ballpark.”

Youkilis doubled and homered — his ninth consecutive multihit game, the most by a Red Sox batter since Jim Rice in 1978. Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 21 consecutive games, raising his batting average from .280 to .358 during that span.

Jason Varitek also homered for Boston.

Beckett struck out Grady Sizemore to start the seventh before Jhonny Peralta singled and Travis Hafner tripled into the right-field corner. Hafner scored on Victor Martinez’s groundout to make it 4-2 before Beckett fanned Trot Nixon for the third out.