Beckett: Hmm... Maybe Hit Him Again

First off, I will list all of the reasons that I KNOW I shouldn't be annoyed with the game Beckett pitched yesterday just so I can prove that I really do have some level of perspective:

1) It's March, and the regular season has not yet begun
2) Spring is a time where pitchers are supposed to work on their not-so-awesome pitches
3) Josh had a concussion just a short while ago
4) He had four pretty good innings.
5) The home runs he gave up were solo shots.

There. See? Perspective. It's all mine. Now, allow me to indulge my neurotic side and explain why, despite the five good reasons up above not to be concerned, I am still concerned:

1) 2010
2) 2009
3) 2008
4) Typically, if Beckett is going to have a bad inning, it's between the 4th and 5th inning
5) He was facing the Pirates, who are essentially a minor league team
6) He couldn't keep his pitch count down against a minor league team
7) He has a nasty habit of giving up a ton of home runs.
8) Bad innings make me itchy. I'm afraid I won't have enough allergy medicine for the season if I need it this early.
9) The fact that a couple of mistakes turned Josh into a headcase who couldn't get an out is a little too reminiscent of Lowe.
10) Oh yeah, 2006. Don't think I forgot.

I'm sure Josh will have at least two or three more spring starts to vindicate the fifth inning of this game, but yeah, I'm nervous. He's been pretty sub-par since the end of 2007. This doesn't mean that I'll ever stop showering him with love and affection, but it's so much easier to love him when I don't have to rip out my hair because he's thrown 85 pitches in four innings when really he should have only thrown 60. I want Beckett to get through this season shooting hell fire from his eyes and beating his opponents to death with brimstone, and all that good stuff. At this point in his career, should he really need that much work on his 2nd and 3rd pitches during spring training? Shouldn't he, I don't know, already know how to use them? Just a thought. I guess if crappy innings will allow Beckett to use his curveball more often, I can't complain too much. I love that curveball. It's just so... curvy (when it's working!). I'm not going to get too worked up about his lousy pitch count or mental breakdown. Well... at least not until his next start.