Dice-K Comes Up Huge

Admit it, you thought Dice-K would last about 4 innings and would give up 5 runs tonight. Matsuzaka proved everybody wrong and pitched a great game at the Fens tonight.  In 6 scoreless innings he gave up just 3 hits and struck out 5.  RR, Wagner, Bard, and Paps went the rest of the way.  Papelbon looked a little shaky and gave up one run but in the end he shut down the Angels.

The game was tied at 0-0 until the 6th when the Red Sox took the lead on a throwing error by John Lackey.  Ells and Big Papi each had 2 hits in the game.

With the dominating performance by Dice-K tonight, the Red Sox suddenly have the best rotation in baseball.  Going into the playoffs with Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, and Dice-K all pitching well could spell trouble for any team standing in their way.

After the game Matsuzaka talked about how he was feeling:

"On the road back I've been a burden on my teammates more than anything, and I feel that I owe them."

 The Rangers lost again so the Red Sox now lead the wild-card race by 5.5 games.

Red Sox Win 4-1 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LA Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	6	1
Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	4	9	0

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Dice-K's Leash

The Ranger's loss last night gave Terry Francona and John Farrell a little more wiggle room in dealing with Dice-K tonight.  With a 4.5 game lead in the wild-card, tonight's match up with the Angels in not a must win game so you won't see a pitching change if Matsuzaka looks bad early.  The Red Sox are going to give him a pretty long leash to see what they have; especially since Wake's future is up in the air.  John Farrell is optimistic that Dice-K is ready to go:

“He has done an outstanding job of committing to a program and getting himself in what we consider, just to the naked eye, better shape,” Farrell said. “He’s reshaped his body. He’s added core strength. He’s gotten the strength levels in his shoulder back to a level where he was a year ago. I think he feels good about himself as well, so we’re all looking forward to his next time out here.”

If Matsuzaka can pitch well tonight then look out; with a rotation of Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, and Dice-K going into the post-season the Red Sox could go deep into the month of October.

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Dice-K Looks Ready, Wake on Hold

Daisuke Matsuzaka looked like a pitcher ready to return to the majors after last night's rehab game with the Salem Red Sox. He pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and a walk, he struck out 7 batters; giving him a victory in the Carolina League playoff game. Look for Dice-K's next start to be with the big club in place of Paul Byrd or Tim Wakefield.

Wake is having another cortisone shot today to try to pitch against Baltimore late next week if all goes well. If he still experiences discomfort in a side session he may opt for surgery which would keep him out for the rest of the regular season and most likely the post-season.

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A Little Added Pressure for Dice-K

When Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the mound tonight for the Salem Red Sox he will be pitching in game 1 of a best of 5 playoff series against Winston-Salem. This is the inaugural season for the Salem Red Sox so Dice-K will have the added pressure of starting thier first ever playoff game. Even though it is a single A game, the added pressure should give us some indication as to Dice-K's ability to rejoin the rotation as a dependable pitcher for the remainder of the season.

"This is a great way to kick off the 2009 post season for the Salem Sox," said Salem General Manager John Katz. "It's always exciting to have a major-leaguer on the field, and to have a pitcher the caliber of Daisuke Matsuzaka on the bump in game one is really something special."

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Good News on Dice-K

The news from Florida made Clay Buchholz's bad start last night a little easier to take. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched three scoreless innings yesterday for the Gulf Coast Red Sox. He only gave up one hit without walking anyone, but he did hit a batter. He will now join the Portland Sea Dogs for a start on Saturday and then join the PawSox for a start on Sept. 3. If all goes well he could rejoin the big club the next week. That give the Red Sox a chance to see him pitch in the majors a couple of times before any possible playoff start. You can never have too much pitching.

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Wake and Dice-K

As reported on redsox.com, Tim Wakefield will make a start in Pawtucket on Wednesday, while Dice-K will throw a side session on Friday. Wakefield's return is imminent, provided he has a good outing. Dice-K will pitch in the Gulf Coast League and then return to Boston next week. After the medical staff clears him, he will make 2 starts for Portland before moving on to Pawtucket.

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Statement from Dice-K

From WEEI.com:


BOSTON, MA—Red Sox right-handed pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka issued the following statement today:

“I spoke to Tito on the phone yesterday, and I’m very glad that we had a productive conversation.

As for the reports from the past several days, I want to correct some misunderstandings. I did not go public with any complaints and I regret that some of my private conversations were made public without my knowledge or consent.

Also, I never said in public or in private conversation that: ‘If I’m forced to continue to train in this environment, I may no longer be able to pitch like I did in Japan.’

I had no intention of criticizing the team and we are, in fact, working together to communicate, to exchange ideas, and to try to understand one another’s baseball culture as we move forward.

The team and I have had many meetings and conversations, and after shaking hands with the general manager, manager, and coaches on the 24th, I was able to resume my training in a good state of mind.

My goal is to put myself into a position where I can contribute to this team.

I look forward to rejoining my teammates and playing in front of the fans at Fenway Park.”

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Dice-K Emerges From the Shadow of Big Papi

Only this time, it’s not a shadow that one would want to emerge from. Big Papi’s ‘slump’ appears to have been a thing of the past, leaving Dice-K bare-ass naked right now. Yes, I know he’s won 36 games including the post-season in the past 2 years; and yes, I know the Sox have invested over $100m in the guy. But right now, ya can’t trade him, ya can’t send him to Pawtucket, and ya can’t send him to the bullpen. DL? That certainly won’t go over well with DK. About the only thing you can do is cross your fingers, send him out to the mound, and hope to hell he finally breaks out of it.

Tonight, he didn’t. His line is once more ugly as sin: 4 IP, 8 H’s, 6 ER’s, 4 BB’s, 2 K’s, 1 HR allowed, leaving him 1-5, with a Wang-like 8.23 ERA. All this on only 67 pitches. Usually Sox give him plenty of run support, (usually not enough), but their bats were unusually quiet tonight- 2 hits, that was it. Jason Bay clubbed his 18^th HR of the year, but outside of that, they pretty much e-mailed in their AB’s. The left side of the diamond coughed up another E, this time it was Mike Lowell. (OUCH! It hurts to just even write that!)

Theo and Tito gave Papi over 2 months to get past his slump and their patience has paid off. He’s swinging the bat much better these days. Dice-K did spend some time on the DL, so he still has just a little bit of time left before the FO pulls the trigger on some sort of action regarding him. What that action is remains to be seen, but I’m sure glad I don’t have to decide what to do with all those arms.

Sox Lose 8-2 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Braves	2	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	1	8	11	1
Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	2	1

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Red Sox Need a Long Outing From Dice-K

Last night's game used up most of the Red Sox bullpen; Oki, RR, Masterson, Saito and Bard all pitched. That leaves just MDC and Paps with fresh arms. Dice-K has the well known problem of throwing a ton of pitches early and not going very deep into games. The Sox really need him to step up big tonight. With the Brad Penny trade rumors, Dice-K has flown under the radar with his 1 win and 7.33 ERA. If Matsuzaka struggles again tonight the Sox are going to find themselves in a difficult situation; trading Penny might be more risky and fans will be vocal about bringing up Buchholz for Dice-K's spot in the rotation. In the end if Dice-K can get into the 7th tonight with a solid outing all of the other speculation will not matter and Red Sox fans will sleep easy.

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Dice-K Will Try To Defend WBC Title

Matsuzaka is going to play for Japan in the World Baseball Classic this spring and will try to win another championship for his home country. Dice-K was the MVP of the WBC in 2006. He told reporters the following yesterday:

"I'll accept the offer if I'm asked to play," Matsuzaka said. "I'll pick up the pace of my training in December so that I won't have to scramble at the last minute."

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Which Dice-K Will We See Tonight?

How do you feel about having Dice-K on the mound tonight? If you are like most Sox fans you probably think he could do well but are not betting your paycheck on the outcome. Matsuzaka has been terrific on the road this year: 9-0 with a 2.37 ERA. However, in his only start against the Angels he only lasted 5 innings and gave up 6 earned runs. You would think this matchup would heavily favor Dice-K since the Angels do not take many pitches and walks have always been a problem when he starts. He has the uncanny abilty to pitch out of jams but he also has trouble going deep into the game.

It is very likely that this game will go down to the bullpen. Masterson did his job in game one but did not look great. Will Oki have the confidence after being passed over by Tito? Delcarmen and Lopez may make their first appearences of the series and there is always the chance we see Byrd coming in for long relief if Dice-K doesn't have it.

My guess is that Dice-K will pitch well but will get a no decision.

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Sox Run On All Cylinders in Houston

Dice-K is back and in a big way. Matsuzaka went 5 scoreless innings allowing just 2 hits while striking out 4. Hansen and Delcarmen faced the minimum in the 6th and 7th before Okajima came in for the 8th. Oki was less than sharp again giving up 2 hitsincluding a home run in 2/3 of an inning. Papelbon came in for a 4 out save as the Sox staff shut down the Astros on 4 hits. Offensively the Sox looked good; Drew broke out of him mini slump with a 3 run tater in the third inning and Youk went 4-5. Not a bad way to start the second half.

Sox Win 6-1 BOX SCORE

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Dice-K Back on the Hill

Matsuzaka is off the DL and will make the start today against St. Louis. He does not have a pitch limit going into the game:

"Lot of it's going to depend on how tough innings are for him," Francona said. "Hopefully, he'll stay out there for a while. He wasn't down a whole long time. I don't think that's going to be a big issue."

Today's game will be nationally broadcast on Fox.

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Dice-K on the Mend

Yesterday Dice-K began a throwing program on flat ground for the first time since he was injured. From Red Sox.com:

Everything went well," Francona said. "He's officially onto his throwing. Flat ground; it'll be flat ground for a while. This should come along pretty quickly."

Tito does not know a date for Matsusaka's return and thinks June 12, the day he comes off of the DL, is unlikely. A trip to Pawtucket for a rehab start might be needed but look for Dice-K to be back in the rotation by the end of the month.

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Dice-K Going On DL

Daisuke Matsuzaka has been placed on the DL with a "mild rotator cuff strain." With the abundance of pitching in the organization the injury should only be a minor speed bump for the Sox.

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Bid To Eat Sushi With Dice-K....You May Have to Lift Up the Chop Sticks For Him

Daisuke Matsuzaka is auctioning off Sushi dinner for charity on ebay. From the ebay description: "Japanese sensation and Red Sox ace Dice-K and his wife, Tomoyo, will join you and three friendsfor dinner at the renowned Japanese restaurant, HARU, in Boston. You'll enjoy the company of one of the world's greatest sports stars along with the finest food and service - all in your own private dining room. (A translator will be provided)" The leading bid is now $10,100 but the reserve has not been met. The proceeds of the auction will go to the charity Good Sports.

Dice-K may have plenty of time to eat sushi now that he is injured and will not be pitching for a while. He is having an MRI in Boston tomorrow to further diagnose what the Red Sox originally reported as "shoulder fatigue."

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Dice-K Injury Update

What at first seemed to be a hip injury is now reported as "shoulder fatigue." Tito said they were going to ice his shoulder an reevaluate it later today. If he misses his next start the Red Sox can call up Clay Buchholz who is eligible to come off of the DL.

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Dice-K Leaves the Game With an Injury in the 5th

Dice-K was holding his side as if he had pulled a muscle after a throw to first when he fielded a ground ball. He threw a few warm ups at the start of the 5th but could not continue. He left the game with the M's leading 3-0. He may have injured his side earlier when he stretched for an errant throw by Casey while covering first.

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No Media Circus Surrounding Dice-K This Spring

Last year, every pitch thrown by Dice-K in Spring Training was dissected by the media. It's hard to imagine how hard it must have been for him to get ready for the season with the flock of reporters constantly around him.

This year is different. After a season in the majors where he was overshadowed by Josh Beckett, the bright lights have faded. While there is still media attention, it's nothing like last year, and that's a good thing.

"Most of the things that were a source of stress for me last season have disappeared," Dice-K told the AP"and now I'm just able to practice."

The Nashua Telegraph reports that he's off to a good stard, "Dice-K made a very positive move forward today," pitching coach John Farrell said. "He threw the ball again in the bottom of the strike zone. His fastball command was solid."Matsuzaka also made a slight adjustment on the release of his changeup, which makes it "a much more useable pitch. I think hitters will have to respect it. They won't be able to detect it so early upon it's release," Farrell said.

Progress on the changeup, however, began late last season."I was able to grasp a few points on my changeup that were really going to make a difference," Matsuzaka said. "I just hope that I can apply those right away early on in the season."

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'08 Outlook for Daisuke Matsuzaka

'07 Season: Dice-K was hyped up to be the second coming of Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson, and Sandy Koufax. The Red Sox broke the bank to get him and fans expected excellence from him. The media room at Fenway had to be expanded to make room for the Japanese media. He was supposedly armed with an unhittable pitch called the Gyroball. Fans from around the world watched his first MLB game against the Royals on April 5. Dice-K had a solid first outing; he only gave up 6 hits and had 10 strikeouts getting his first win. Most Sox fans saw this as a good sign that he would be the player he was hyped up to be. However, in his second start he was out-classed by Seattle's Felix Hernandez. For the rest of the season he was inconsistent; masterful one game and ineffective the next. He had control problems at times and struggled when he had runners on base. He ended the season going 15-12 with a 4.40 ERA. He went 3-1 in the post-season getting the win in game 3 of the World Series.

'08 Outlook: The tremendous pressure Dice-K faced in '07 will be off him. He now knows what to expect from a long major league season with a baseball obsessed town. A 6 man rotation would be a great benefit to Matsuzaka who showed fatigue last season. He pitched in a 6 man rotation in Japan. Dice-K's season was similar to Beckett's first year with Boston. Once he adjusts to the hitters he should have a better second year with the Red Sox. He has "ace" stuff and with some increased control he could be the pitcher Boston paid big bucks for. With increased control and a lower pitch count he should have a better record and a lower ERA in '08. He will be a great #2 pitcher for the Sox next season and start to earn his hefty paycheck.

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