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Red Sox can clinch playoff berth with win over Indians

Sep 22, 2008 - 2:03 PM Cleveland (78-77) at Boston (91-64), 7:05 pm EDT

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Tampa Bay Rays beat them to it, but the Boston Red Sox are on the verge of earning their ticket to the American League playoffs.

The Red Sox can clinch a postseason berth with a win over the Cleveland Indians in the opener of a three-game set on Monday evening at Fenway Park.

Boston has made the playoffs four of the last five years and has won two World Series titles - in 2004 and 2007 - in that span.

The Angels captured the AL West Division crown on September 10 and the Rays notched their franchise's first playoff berth with a win on Saturday.

Josh Beckett (12-9, 3.96 ERA) takes the mound for Boston. He has a 0.95 ERA in three starts since coming off the disabled list, but has only one win in that span.

The righthander tossed his best outing of the three Tuesday at Tampa Bay, holding the Rays to one run and three hits in eight innings, but did not get a decision in Boston's 2-1 loss.

Beckett has developed a sterling reputation as a big-game pitcher in the postseason, pitching the Red Sox to a World Series title last season and halting the Yankees in the 2003 Fall Classic.

Cleveland counters with Zach Jackson (0-3, 6.48), who is coming off the worst outing of the season. The 25-year-old lefthander, who was part of a package that sent CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, surrendered seven runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 shoddy frames against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.

The Indians completed a three-game sweep of Detroit with a 10-5 victory Sunday and moved over. 500 for the first time since May 17, when they were 22-21.