Josh Beckett was very stingy today, using only 62 pitches to complete six innings. Jack McKeon was impressed:

“He was economical with his pitches,” said McKeon, who will make either Beckett or right-hander A.J. Burnett his opening day starter.
“Him and Burnett, they’ve been accustomed their whole life to seeing how many they can strike out. That ain’t the name of the game. With his kind of stuff, the hitters will strike themselves out With his kind of stuff, he can get through eight or nine innings.”

Fewer pitchs will take a starter deeper into a game, keeping the dregs of the bullpen sitting.
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