Josh Beckett looked better than awful Wednesday night in the Red Sox’ 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay, so should we presume that The Ace is on the road to recovering his superior skills? After tumbling into a 5-1 hole, Beckett did manage to look more like his old self for the duration of his outing, which could be cause for optimism.

He also a avoided taking the loss as the Red Sox fought back to tie the game in the top of the eighth, only to have Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen suffer fatal meltdowns in the bottom of the inning. Both men have endured their own occasional struggles through the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, Tim Wakefield is hoping that a successful workout today will persuade Terry Francona that he is able to replace Junichi Tazawa as the starting pitcher on Saturday in Chicago. If it doesn’t go well, Wakefield could opt to have back surgery.

And for those who miss hearing from The Big Schill, the former Red Sox right-hander is thinking about running for Edward M. Kennedy’s senate seat. As if there weren’t enough hot air blowing through the Senate chamber already, Curt Schilling could bring gale-force filibusters of right-wing bloviating.

Tags: Josh Beckett, Junichi Tazawa, Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez, Tim Wakefield