"Josh Beckett received the news upon his arrival to Minute Maid Park yesterday. After a nightmarish, injury-plagued season one year ago, he had been voted by his peers to play in the All-Star Game.

Beckett smiled, then tried to block it out. After all, he had a game to pitch.

"It's a great honor, but it's one of those things. I didn't want it to become a distraction," Beckett said. "I think I'll have a Lone Star Lite on the plane."

Thanks to Beckett, it was a pleasant flight home for the Red Sox. They capped a three-game sweep of the lowly Houston Astros with a 2-1 victory and finished a nine-game, 10-day swing through three National League cities with a 5-4 mark.

Not bad, considering All-Star designated hitter David Ortiz was marginalized for nearly the entire trip.

"We turned what was potentially a miserable trip into not one," manager Terry Francona said.

The Red Sox owe Beckett for their winning record on the trip. He tossed eight sparkling innings, allowing only one run on five hits, not issuing a walk and striking out a season-high 11 batters. He also strengthened his already All-Star-worthy credentials by lowering his ERA to 2.12.

One thing Beckett has lacked: run support. The Red Sox have scored three runs or fewer in seven of his 16 starts, and yesterday wasn't any different. They were largely shut down for five innings by 20-year-old rookie Jordan Lyles, then stymied by the Astros bullpen until the ninth."