Josh Beckett hasn't allowed a run in two starts against Atlanta this season.

MCT photo / Curtis Compton, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA — There are many different ways to win a ballgame. The Red Sox’ Dustin Pedroia has accomplished almost every single one of them.

Against the Braves Friday night at Turner Field, Boston’s second baseman played psychological warfare on Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens. It wasn’t only Pedroia’s two hits, two runs scored and one RBI that helped Boston to a 4-1 victory, it was his aggressiveness on the base paths that proved crucial.

His heads-up baserunning caused Jurrjens to balk twice, and both times it led to runs for the Red Sox in the low-scoring game.

“That was a little different. I haven’t seen a balk in awhile,” said Pedroia. “I was actually trying to steal both times, and he kind of caught me both times. It worked out for us.”

When a club is playing as well as the Red Sox are, opponents can’t afford mistakes.

“It seems like when a team is playing good, you can’t be making that many mistakes out there because we’ll take advantage of it.”

While Pedroia had Jurrjens’ head spinning, Red Sox starter Josh Beckett was in total control. He worked seven scoreless innings and allowed six hits with no walks and six strikeouts to improve to 9-3. Beckett faced the Braves in his last start last weekend at Fenway Park and tossed a five-hit complete-game shutout.

“That’s the Beckett we’ve known since Day One,” said David Ortiz. “He was nasty, bro.”

Boston’s ace continued that momentum Friday.

Beckett was pitching well when he hit a bit of a speed bump in the bottom of the fourth. He allowed back-to-back singles to the Braves’ Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman to lead off the inning. The game was locked in a scoreless stalemate, but Atlanta was threatening.

Beckett kicked it up a gear.

He struck out Jeff Francoeur during a five-pitch at-bat and ended it with a nasty 78-mph curveball. It was that strikeout that gave Boston momentum. Beckett retired the next two batters to end the threat and his offense rewarded him in the top of the fifth.

Ortiz led off the inning with a home run when he crushed a 1-1 offering off Jurrjens and deposited it into the left-center seats. The roundtripper was his eighth of the season, and puts him three shy of 300 for his career.

Beckett continued to keep the Braves off-balance, and in the process also got some help from his defense as Boston held its one-run lead.

Pedroia collected his 21st double of the season, thanks to an infield chopper past third that trickled into shallow left field. As he took his lead with J.D. Drew at the plate, Pedroia was able to force a balk and was awarded third. Drew finished the job by grounding out 4-3. On the grounder to second, Pedroia hesitated like he wasn’t attempting to score, but broke for the plate at the right moment to give the Sox a 2-0 advantage.

While the offense did just enough, Boston’s defense helped, too.

Middle infielders Nick Green and Pedroia turned a key double play in the bottom of the sixth, and the Sox’ shortstop made another key defensive play in the seventh. With one out, the Braves’ Diory Hernandez smoked a hard liner up the middle. Green quickly ranged to his left, and on the last bounce the ball checked up just enough so he could glove it and make the play.

His throw, however, was off the mark, but Mark Kotsay made a tremendous stretch. He held the bag for the out. Beckett closed out the inning, and his outing, with a strikeout.

The Sox continued to play small ball and increased their lead in the eighth.

Green drew a walk to lead off the inning. Julio Lugo served as a pinch-hitter for Beckett and provided a sacrifice bunt before Pedroia delivered a RBI single for a 3-0 lead.

The Braves really imploded at this point.

Drew followed with a single and with runners on first and second, Jurrjens was called for his second balk of the game. Youkilis drew a walk, but on ball four, there was a passed ball that allowed Pedroia to score, giving Boston a 4-0 advantage.

With Beckett out, lefty reliever Hideki Okajima worked the eighth. He made an error, walked a batter before striking out the next three batters to end the inning. The Braves scored their lone run in the bottom off the ninth when David Ross hit a solo homer off Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.

jmcdonal@projo.com