Red Sox barely hanging onto postseason.

Fishermen in New Bedford, Massachusetts have discovered a new fish. It fights hard and breaks some lines, but more often than not, it’s easy to get into the boat. Once it’s caught, all the fish does is flop.

The new species is called “Josh Beckett.”

As you can tell, I’m not a Josh Beckett fan. I never have been and I never will be.

He’s never been reliable. I have just as much confidence sending Beckett to the mound during the regular season as I do Tim Wakefield. And that’s because Beckett, outside of his incredible 2005 and 2007 seasons, has never been a consistent pitcher. On a daily basis, he’s yet to prove he’s anything other than your garden variety, hard-throwing Texan, straight out of the mold created by Nolan Ryan. You simply never know if you’re going to get Beckett the Cy Young candidate or Beckett the prototypical flamethrower.

And that’s because he pitches with too much emotion. Pitching with emotion is sometimes a good thing (think Jonathan Papelbon), but when you throw a fastball down the pipe just to prove that you can blow it by a batter, that’s just plain stupid. Beckett has had control problems this year and during counts where a pure waste pitch is the most desirable, he’s done the exact opposite and challenged hitters.

As a result, he gives up way too many home runs. Terry Francona has worked with Beckett on his pigheaded, hit-it-if-you-can pitching since his disastrous 2006 and thus far the results have been impressive. This year, however, Beckett’s on pace to give up just as many home runs as the 36 he allowed in a little over 200 innings in 2006.

In the last 20.1 innings alone, Beckett’s given up 10 jacks and 17 earned runs (including 5 home runs in a game versus the Yankees last night). This latest run of ineffective pitching is eerily similar to runs during Beckett’s 2006 season when he was especially prone to the longball.

Granted all of his struggles can certainly be disregarded if the Red Sox make the playoffs and he continues his postseason dominance.

Is the Tiger’s Rick Porcello better than Justin Verlander?

I think so.

After his great ’06 and ’07, Justin Verlander was the poster boy of the Detroit Tigers. But last year, the fireballer took a step back when instead of pitching, he simply threw. And anyone knows that someone who pitches beats someone that throws. Just ask the Washington National’s Daniel Cabrera.

Well Detroit, there’s a new face for your pitching staff.

Last night, the Detroit Tiger’s Rick Porcello won his first major league game after shutting down the Seattle Mariners for 7 innings. He only struck out three, but he also walked none.

Porcello is the Tiger’s top prospect. He draws comparisons to both Josh Beckett and Roy Halladay (to Beckett because of his advanced skills and to Halladay for his body and pitching style). Here’s his scouting report:

• Fastball: Can reach 97 mph.
• 2-Seamer: Perhaps his best pitch, it ranges from 92-95 mph with great action, especially against righties.
• Changeup: Is not afraid to use it in any count.
• Curve: It’s a work in progress, but he’s demonstrated an ability to throw it for strikes. It’s of the 12-to-6 variety.

In his two games this year, Porcello’s demonstrated a veteran ability to get out of jams with the strikeout and also to control the strikezone. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make strides towards becoming the Tiger’s new ace.