Fading Red Sox World Series hopes in good hands

By Steve Keating

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Reuters) - Josh Beckett carries Boston Red Sox World Series hopes to the mound on Thursday for a must-win Game Five against the Cleveland Indians and they could not be in safer hands.

Trailing the Cleveland Indians 3-1 in their best-of-seven American League Championship Series and teetering on the brink of elimination, the Red Sox's Cy Young candidate is all that stands between the Indians and a return to the World Series.

The Major League's only 20-game winner this season, Beckett has carried his form over into the playoffs and will need to weave more Fall magic if the Red Sox are to take the series back to Fenway Park for Games Six and Seven.

"He (Beckett) has been the guy we've had to lean on," Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek told reporters. "We can't lean any harder on him, just the fact he will give us a quality start and a chance to get this offence going."

"Mr. October", is the highest praise that can be given a player in the post-season and Beckett is already recognized as one of the sport's clutch money players.

Being placed in must-win situations is not unfamiliar territory for the hard-throwing right-hander.

Trailing the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in the 2003 National League Championship Series, the Florida Marlins handed Beckett the ball in Game Five and he responded with a complete game two-hitter.

The Marlins went on to eliminate the Cubs and clinched the World Series on Beckett's five-hit shutout of the Yankees.

ALMOST UNHITTABLE

Back in the post-season with the Red Sox, the 27-year-old pitcher has been almost unhittable, posting a record of 2-0 and a miniscule 1.20 ERA.

"I'll just go out and try and do what I've been doing all year," said Beckett. "You have to execute more pitches now because not too many people playing middle of October aren't doing some things right."

Pitcher C.C. Sabathia is one of the few Indians who has done little right this post-season but he gets the opportunity to put his troubles in the past if he can send Cleveland back to the World Series.

A 19-game winner during the regular season, Sabathia has not displayed his Cy Young credentials in the playoffs where he has a record of 1-1 and a monstrous 10.61 ERA.

"The only thing we ask our starting pitchers to do is give us a chance to win," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "When he (Sabathia) is done...when he leaves the game, do we have a chance to win it?

"If he's done that, then he's done his job."