Josh Beckett is the ace of the Boston Red Sox’ pitching staff. He is a former World Series MVP and American League All-Star; and this season had been posting numbers worth of Cy Young consideration. However, just a few weeks ago, all that began to change for the 29-year old right handed hurler.

Since August 12, Beckett has been the exact opposite of what he is expected to be. His ace pitcher status is definitely in question. Over his last five starts, he’s gone 1-1 in 31.1 innings, giving up 33 hits and 7 walks. What has been among the most un-Beckett-like is the fact that he has given up 26 earned runs over that stretch, but the most shocking number is the home runs he has given up. In those give games, he’s allowed 14 home runs. He’d only given up 10 home runs throughout the season prior to then.

As people tend to do when a stud pitcher starts to show signs of his human side, questions have arose about Beckett and his recent inability to keep the ball in the park. Is he tired? Is he playing through an injury? While the Red Sox keep throwing him out there every five days, fans will have no choice other than to try to absorb the fact that Beckett may just be going through a low period that every major leaguer will go through many times over the course of a career.

The problem with Beckett going through these rough times right now is that the Red Sox lead a pack gunning for the American League wild card position, and any kind of faltering might open a door for teams like the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays to surge up the standings and earn the right to play in October. Basically, Beckett needs to find the form that fans are used to. If he and the Red Sox want to play for their third World Series since 2004, they’re going to need Beckett to return to his inhuman ways. Watch for that this coming Monday against the Chicago White Sox.