Josh Beckett

After Thursday’s near no-hitter turned into an extra-innings debacle, you’d have to guess that the buzz from that contest would dominate the headlines going into Friday’s game between the Red Sox and the Mariners. However, there is one storyline that may even supersede the one coming from what some have already deemed the Red Sox game of the year: the return of ace Josh Beckett. The Sox fireballer hasn’t pitched in the majors since leaving a May 18 game against the Yankees with back issues. This will be just his ninth start of the season. Opposing Beckett on the mound for the Mariners Friday night will be Jason Vargas.

Beckett (1-1, 7.29 ERA) has to hope that his second go-round in 2010 goes significantly better than his first. His ERA was an atrocious 7.29 in those eight starts, and he had allowed five runs or more on four separate occasions. He could not have returned at a better time, as he gets to face the lowly Mariners. Against Seattle in his career, Beckett is 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA. Those numbers only get better at Safeco Field, where he is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two career starts. Additionally, the Mariners as a team rank last in the majors in average (.235) and runs (320). After Ichiro Suzuki’s .312, no other player on the Seattle roster is hitting higher than .264.

Speaking of Ichiro, his matchup with Beckett should be an interesting one to keep an eye on. Surprisingly, the Seattle lefty hitter is just 2-for-18 against the hard-throwing Boston righty. Given that Ichiro easily has been the team’s best hitter this season, that stat is not very comforting for the M’s heading into Friday. Perhaps they’ll have to lean on Russell Branyan, who is having an off year but is hitting .462 against Beckett with two home runs.

While there will be a lot of hullabaloo about Beckett heading into Friday’s matchup, Vargas (6-4, 2.97 ERA) quietly will enter the game as one of the more solid starters in the American League. His ERA is the eighth-lowest in the American League, and in his last two starts he has been nothing short of brilliant, giving up just one run in each game while going at least seven innings against the Yankees and Angels, respectively. Vargas has been even stingier this season in giving up runs at home, where he is 5-1 in 10 starts with a 2.19 ERA.

It should be interesting to see how the Sox match up with Vargas at Safeco, given that all but two of Boston’s position players have seen the Seattle lefty in the past. Perhaps they can get some advice from J.D. Drew, who has yet to be retired by Vargas in three career at-bats against him, going 2-for-2 with a home run and a walk.

Red Sox vs. Jason Vargas

J.D. Drew (3 career plate appearances against Vargas): 1.000 average/1.000 OBP/2.500 slugging, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 walk

Eric Patterson is 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. No other Boston batter has faced Vargas in the past.

Mariners vs. Josh Beckett

Chone Figgins (25 career plate appearances against Beckett): .364 average/.440 OBP/.455 slugging, 1 RBI, 2 doubles, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts

Milton Bradley (18): .333/.444/.467, 3 RBI, 2 doubles, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts

Ichiro Suzuki (18): .111/.111/.111, 1 RBI, 5 strikeouts

Russell Branyan (15): .462/.533/.1.077, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 doubles, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

Casey Kotchman (13): .385/.385/.385, 3 strikeouts

Jose Lopez (9): .125/.222/.375, 2 RBI, 1 triple, 1 strikeout

Ryan Langerhans (8): .000/.125/.000, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Jack Wilson (6): .333/.333/.333, 2 strikeouts

Franklin Gutierrez (3): .333/.333/1.333, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 strikeout

Jamey Wright is 1-for-2 with an RBI and a strikeout in his career against Beckett. Josh Wilson is 0-for-2. Josh Bard, Rob Johnson, Michael Saunders and Justin Smoak all have never faced the Boston starter.