EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

BOSTON - For those of you 40 and over, here's a number to chew on with your Cheerios this morning: 141/2.

That's the up-to-date margin between your Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

For the old fogies out there, it's the number that has haunted Red Sox fans since 1978. It is the amount of games (actually that lead was "only" 14 games) the Yankees made up after July 18, eventually winning the division in the historic Bucky "Bleeping" Dent playoff game.

This ritual is getting weirder by the day.

The Red Sox win, beating playoff contending teams to a pulp. And the Yankees lose.

What is going on here?

"Fourteen and a half means nothing to me," said Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. "I've heard that number from somewhere before. But I'm not sure where. Really, though, it doesn't matter. We can't worry about the Yankees."

Well, pardon the baby boomers with Red Sox bloodlines for this one short respite, even if "The Curse" and everything else was exorcised three Octobers ago.

As for an explanation on what is happening around here, well, there isn't one except for the New England Patriots' excuse for winning.

Everyone is contributing.

Josh Beckett, who improved to 8-0 last night, misses two weeks and guess what? The Sox lead is extended.

David Ortiz has a pair of pulled hamstrings and sits his third straight game? The Red Sox win, win and win again.

The key, though, is pitching, particularly the first six or seven innings with Sox starters continuing to go deep into games.

"It's been a little bit of everything," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "I mean good baseball starts and ends with pitching, not just starting pitching but all pitching. Starters get you deep enough ... bullpen guys doing their job ... some timely hitting, things like that. It's a lot of different things, but good pitching gives you a chance to win every night."

Beckett doesn't miss a beat

No fear. There were no reported "avulsion" sightings here at Fenway Park last night.

What was seen was another Cy Young-like performance from one of baseball's hottest pitchers, Josh Beckett.

Beckett picked up where left off 15 days ago when he suffered an avulsion on the middle finger of his throwing hand, going seven full innings, six of which were nearly perfect. If not for a misplayed ball by J.D. Drew in right field, Beckett might have left the game unscathed.

"He was real good, as good as we've seen him," said Indians manager Eric Wedge. "He had everything going. He was good with the fastball; secondary stuff was good. (His pitches were) down. (He) worked ahead."

Beckett said the avulsion, which is a fancy word for a blister, was not an issue last night.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it," said Beckett, who gave up just two runs. "It's always in the back of your mind. That was one of those things I definitely worked on in the last three or four days, convincing myself that (my finger is) fine."

Beckett, who has a history of blister problems, allowed only three hits while walking one and striking out seven.

"He came out right from the get-go and established all three of his pitches, just like he's been doing and that's a pretty good hitting team," Francona said.

Cheers for Nixon, jeers for Drew

It was not a banner day for Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew. And he probably couldn't have picked a worse opponent to do it against.

With ex-Sox right fielder Trot Nixon here with the Indians getting cheers all night in honor of his previous service (10 seasons), Drew, wearing Nixon's old number (7), got the jeers.

Drew not only had a poor night at the plate, hitting three groundouts (to first, second and shortstop), but he badly misplayed Travis Hafner's line drive to left which was ruled a triple, scoring Jhonny Peralta. Drew missed the ball going toward the fence near the foul line, turning a potential single into a triple. Hafner scored on a fielder's choice grounder to first by Victor Martinez.

Starting pitcher Josh Beckett was visibly upset while walking through the dugout after the seventh inning, probably having something to do with Drew's miscue.

Varitek and Fisk together for a day

Let the record show that on this day, May 29, 2007, Jason Varitek and Carlton Fisk shared the spotlight.

Varitek's fifth-inning solo shot over the Green Monster, giving the Sox a 2-0, tied him with Fisk for 18th all-time on the Sox' RBIs list at 568.

While many view Fisk, a Hall of Famer, as a great offensive catcher, Varitek needed only 30 more games (1078 for Fisk, 1,108 for Varitek) to get to 568.

By the numbers

9 - Consecutive games in which Kevin Youkilis has had multiple hits, the most since Jim Rice accomplished the feat in 1978.

21 - Consecutive games in which Youkilis has had a hit. He is hitting .441 (41 for 93) over that stretch.

141/2 - Games separating the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the standings.

17 - Wins Red Sox have had in last 21 games that Julio Lugo has scored at least one run.

21 - Consecutive home games in which Mike Lowell has had a hit.