No one is probably more ready to get back on the field than Josh Beckett. He’s apparently had enough of the golf circuit already. Beckett, who hasn’t started since April 29, was forced to miss his last start on Sunday due to a strained lat. Problem was, he was spotted playing golf the day before, and the Boston media hasn’t let him forget.

He can do a lot to help his cause tonight when the Boston Red Sox meet the Cleveland Indians in the first game of a four-game set, where the Red Sox are a 1 1/2-run favorite, according to Bovada’s Indians vs. Red Sox Betting Lines, with a -150 moneyline.

Beckett was way off in his last start, throwing a career-high 126 pitches in 6 1/3 innings in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Manager Bobby Valentine allowed him to skip his next start to get back on track, although he apparently spent it golfing with teammate Clay Buchholz on a team off day.

“He had a sore lat,” Valentine told the team website. “He wasn’t an injured player, I know that. We’ll take it from there. But I’m sure that Josh wouldn’t do anything that’s going to jeopardize his team or his season, I know that.”

Beckett will square off against former Red Sox hero Derek Lowe, who won the 2004 World Series with Boston. Lowe has only allowed three runs in his last 19 2/3 innings, two of those coming in a no-decision against the Texas Rangers. He’s only faced Boston once, losing 3-0 in 2009 when he was with the Atlanta Braves.

The Indians have won six of their last nine after dropping two-straight to the Chicago White Sox this week, and sit idle at the top of the AL Central standings. Not so for the Red Sox, still wading in uncertainty with Valentine. They have only been at .500 once this year, getting to 11-11, but have lost seven of eight since. They are in danger of losing six-straight at home for the first time since 2010.

Beckett has been as inconsistent as his team, alternating wins and losses in his five starts. History isn’t on his side against Cleveland, going 4-5 with a 4.84 ERA in 10 starts against the Tribe. His biggest nemesis has been designated hitter Travis Hafner, who has snacked on Beckett with seven hits and six RBI in 20 at-bats.