Red Sox 2, Athletics 1

If Major League Baseball is going to have stadiums in which home runs are determined by balls going over painted lines, hitting walls and bouncing back on to the field, then they need to implement some kind of video review for questionable balls. The Red Sox lost a run when a J.D. Drew home run was called a double last August, and they lost a run when a Varitek home run was called a double last night. Everyone watching around the world knows that it was a home run, but the guys that have to make the call have no access to the technology that tells everyone else that they screwed up. It's just silly.

• Great game from Matsuzaka. He gave up a lead-off HR in the second and a lead-off single in the third, and nothing else over 6 2/3 innings, while striking out 9 and throwing 96 pitches.


• I don't remember ever seeing before, and don't expect to ever see again, Manny Ramirez make first-pitch outs in three consecutive plate appearances in the same game.


• Through three games, the offense has done little, but they're 2-1, as they've gotten two pretty good starts from Matsuzaka and won both.


• And all reports on Beckett are positive - apparently, he looks very good. He'll either start in Toronto this weekend, or start the home opener on Tuesday.