Dice-K Boston: Boston Red Sox Blog | Daisuke Matsuzaka Blog and News

Big Papi has his clutch back

2007-09-13T07:29:13Z

9/13/2007

One night after crushing the Devil Rays bullpen, the Red Sox waited for David Ortiz to find the same magic in the bottom of the ninth inning.

His second homer of the night and 31st of the season, a two-run blast to the first row of the right-field grandstands off Al Reyes, lifted the Red Sox to a 5-4 win over the Rays in the rubber game of the three-game series at Fenway Park on Wednesday.

"I thought it was too high," said Ortiz, who drove in all five of Boston's runs. "That was a good pitch by Reyes, but I put a good swing on it. It looked like a cutter in. It's a pitch you make when you don't want a guy to extend [his arms]."

Rays right fielder Delmon Young overran the ball, reaching the Pesky Pole before retracing his steps, but not in time as the ball fell in the first row.

"[The] wind was kind of crazy tonight, but it worked the right way," Ortiz said.

The win allowed the Red Sox to maintain their five-game lead over the Yankees, who beat the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, and put Boston's magic number to clinch the American League East title at 12.

"It's not just the walk-off, it's the situation we're facing right now," Ortiz said. "[The Yankees] have been playing

really good, and you lose this game and then they win [Thursday], and it changes the whole thing. The way they've been playing, you want to be sure you win some games."

"That's the biggest thing, is keeping that five-game lead going into this next series and especially, the momentum," added winner Jonathan Papelbon (1-2), who pitched a perfect ninth. "With the last two, three weeks of the season left, this [win] is absolutely huge for our ballclub going into this stretch run."

It was the first time all season that Ortiz had the chance to make his traditional helmet toss rounding third base.

"It felt good," said the hero. "That means the game is over, and you have to make sure your teammates don't beat the crap out of you."

Not only was it the first walk-off homer of the season for Ortiz, Wednesday marked the first time the slugging designated hitter ended a game this season with a hit of any kind. It was also the first time Boston had a walk-off homer since current Rays first baseman Carlos Pena hit a solo homer to beat the White Sox, 3-2, on Sept. 4, 2006, at Fenway.

In the third inning, Ortiz launched a 97-mph fastball from Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson to the right-field bleachers for a three-run homer, his 30th of the season. The two long balls also gave him 104 RBIs, moving him two past the ill Mike Lowell for the team lead.

"It's that time of year and ... I think he's definitely one of the guys," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He had good swings all night. He lined out a couple of times, he hit the three-run homer, that was, up to that point, our only offense. And he was seeing the ball real well."

It is the fifth straight season Ortiz has belted at least 30 homers and driven in 100 runs. Only three other Red Sox have as many as five 30-homer seasons, including Ted Williams (eight), Manny Ramirez (six) and Jimmie Foxx (five).

Lester Returns to Fenway

2007-08-14T16:16:14Z

8/14/2007

After making three starts on the road, Jon Lester will finally get to hear just how much the Fenway faithful appreciate his return to the Majors as the Red Sox host the Rays in the middle game of the three-game series.

Lester, who was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in his back last year, made his return on July 23 at Cleveland. He has since made two more starts, both on the road against the Devil Rays and Angels, posting a 1-0 record with a 6.43 ERA.

"[I'm] just trying to make another start," Lester said of his assignment. "I'm sure there will be some emotions going through my mind a little bit."

The left-hander lasted just 3 1/3 innings last Wednesday in Anaheim, allowing five runs on eight hits while walking three.

"Throwing strikes, really," he said of his main objective. "For some reason, the past couple of starts, I've just been getting away from throwing strike one, and it's really hurt me. If I get back to doing that, like I did in the Cleveland and Tampa Bay starts ... Except for one pitch in the Tampa Bay start, I thought I threw the ball well.

"Hopefully, I'll get back to that, and the rest will take care of itself."

If Lester hopes that his fortunes will be much different from his last outing, he can rest assured the surrounding environment will be. It will be his first start at Fenway since Aug. 18, 2006, against the Yankees.

"I'm sure it'll be good," he said. "It probably won't sink in until [Tuesday] when I get on the mound and see the Fenway background again.

"Any start, whether it's the seventh game of the World Series or if it's Opening Day, you try not to get too amped up. If you do, you lose control of your mind and your body and the ball starts going everywhere. I have a hard enough time controlling the ball as it is.

"It's been great," he added of the supportive fans, "from the mail to the bracelets to the support in Spring Training and coming back. It's been great. I couldn't ask for more."

With Monday's 3-0 victory, Boston has taken six of the first seven meetings with Tampa Bay, with 10 still remaining after Tuesday. Monday's win also allowed the Red Sox to maintain their four-game lead on the Yankees in the American League East.

Lester and the Red Sox will be opposed by another left-hander, Scott Kazmir, who has allowed just one run in his last 19 innings.

Red Sox Pass on Jermaine Dye Deal

2007-08-01T13:32:22Z

8/1/2007

How close did the Red Sox come to adding a power right-handed bat to go along with the power right-handed arm (Eric Gagne) they acquired on Tuesday?

"We were pretty close on a bat," said Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. "We had a few different targets out there, one primary target that we feel we made a strong offer for."

Though Epstein did not mention the player by name, he was likely referring to White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye, who wound up staying put in Chicago.

"I think, indeed, we had the strongest offer out there on the player," said Epstein. "We can certainly sleep at night knowing we put our best foot forward for that player, made a really strong proposal, and we'll live to fight another day there. I certainly like the core of position players that we have. ... If the need arises to do some further tweaking of the bench here or there, due to injuries or other reasons, I think we can accomplish that in August, both from inside the organization and potentially from outside the organization."

The Red Sox and White Sox had been in discussions regarding Dye for several days. The Red Sox were willing to send outfielder Wily Mo Pena in the deal, but the White Sox also wanted some players Epstein wasn't interested in giving up -- namely, righty reliever Manny Delcarmen and right-handed prospect Justin Masterson.

"We felt as though we targeted our guys early on in what could make the team better," said White Sox general manager Kenny Williams. "What we were looking for as far as Jermaine was immediate help or something better in prospects than the Draft picks we would get [if Dye exits as a free agent]."

Dye, the 2005 World Series MVP, is having a subpar year. He is hitting .235 with 19 homers and 52 RBIs for the floundering White Sox.

However, Dye has turned his game up a notch since the All-Star break, hitting .318 with seven homers and 13 RBIs. He could have given the Red Sox some punch from the right side.

But Dye could have used his no-trade clause to reject a deal to Boston. The soon-to-be-free agent, uncertain what his playing time would have been in Boston, might have done just that.

"Probably the most talked-about team was Boston, and it would be hard for me to fit on that team, playing every day and trying to show teams out there that I'm a free agent and this is what I want to do and hopefully you want me," Dye said. "That's probably the most talked-about team and the least amount of playing time I would have got."

The Red Sox have a starting outfield of Manny Ramirez, Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew.

Sox ship Pineiro to Cardinals

2007-08-01T13:28:28Z

8/1/2007

The Red Sox found a taker for Joel Pineiro, trading the right-hander and cash considerations to the Cardinals for a player to be named later on Tuesday.

Pineiro was designated for assignment by the Red Sox a week ago, which meant that the team had a 10-day window to either trade him, release him or send him to the Minor Leagues.

Pineiro accepted an option to Triple-A Pawtucket last week with hopes of being stretched out so he could return to his preferred role as a starting pitcher.

He made two starts for Pawtucket, the most recent of which was a five-inning performance on July 29 at Columbus.

Almost exclusively a starting pitcher before moving to the bullpen for the Mariners late last season, the Red Sox thought Pineiro could be a key reliever for them in 2007. He was signed to a one-year contract that included a base salary of $4 million and incentive clauses for games finished.

But once Jonathan Papelbon went back to the closer's role late in Spring Training, Pineiro was no longer in the running for that spot.

He struggled to find a steady bullpen role for the Red Sox, going 1-1 with a 5.03 ERA in 31 appearances.

Pineiro, 28, has a career record of 59-56 with a 4.50 ERA. Of his 216 career appearances, 148 have been starts. The best season of Pineiro's career was 2003, when he went 16-11 with a 3.78 ERA. He posted 14 wins in 2002. However, beginning in 2004, Pineiro has struggled to find consistency in whatever role he has pitched in.

Travarez To Fill in Against Orioles

2007-08-01T13:13:21Z

8/1/2007

When the Red Sox traded Wednesday night's original starter -- Kason Gabbard -- to the Rangers as part of the package that landed Eric Gagne, it didn't take long to solve the bind of who would pitch on such short notice.

Julian Tavarez, welcome back to the rotation. It will be just a one-start cameo for the rubber-armed righty, as Curt Schilling is set to reclaim his post when he comes off the disabled list on either Sunday or Monday.

After 18 starts, Tavarez was moved to the bullpen on July 22 to make way for the return of Jon Lester.

"He's proved his value," said Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. "He's given us some tremendous starts. He's just been a valuable arm to us all year, most of it's been as a starter. Hopefully, he can continue to do that."

How does Tavarez so easily bounce between starting and relieving?

"It's mental," said Tavarez.

In this one, Tavarez will be opposed by Steve Trachsel. The Red Sox will aim to snap a two-game losing streak. Gagne is likely to be activated before the game.

Eric Gagne Signed by the Boston Red Sox

2007-08-01T13:17:24Z

7/31/2007

The Red Sox bolstered what was already perhaps the biggest strength of their team by adding dominant reliever Eric Gagne in a deal with the Texas Rangers that was announced shortly after Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline.

Gagne waived the no-trade clause in his contract to make the deal official. He'll serve as Jonathan Papelbon's setup man and close on days that Papelbon is getting rest.

To land the three-time All-Star and 2003 National League Cy Young Award winner, the Red Sox packaged left-handed starter Kason Gabbard and Minor League outfielders David Murphy and Engel Beltre.

"We're excited. We feel like we have a really good club. We were looking for ways to strengthen it, and I think the bullpen is already a strength of the club," said Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. "Acquiring a pitcher the caliber of Eric Gagne only makes us stronger. It helps give us what we hope will be a truly dominant bullpen for the remainder of the year."

Right-hander Gagne, who is expected to join the club on Wednesday, will team with Papelbon (2.15 ERA, 23 saves) and lefty setup man Hideki Okajima (0.87 ERA) as a 1-2-3 bullpen punch as potentially devastating as any in Major League Baseball.

"Eric is obviously one of the most decorated closers in recent memory," Epstein said. "He'll be joining this club primarily in the setup capacity, pitching with Hideki Okajima in front of Jonathan Papelbon and taking save opportunities here and there when Jonathan is not available. To have him agree to waive his no-trade and come here in that role means a lot to this organization."

Gagne, who was a target of the Red Sox during his free-agency period last offseason, is having a strong year (2-0, 2.16 ERA and 16 saves) for the Rangers. Because of injuries, Gagne pitched in just 16 games in a span of two seasons entering this year. However, he regained his health and his dominance in Texas.

When the Red Sox targeted Gagne back in December, the plan was that Papelbon was going to be a starting pitcher. Now, the Red Sox have two of the nastiest righty relievers in the game on one team.

"I think for us and our bullpen, it's absolutely huge," said Papelbon. "But for me, it's more special and more intriguing than I think I can really put into words. Because you've got a guy like Gagne, who is coming over here and putting his ego aside and putting everything else aside to come over here and win a World Series."

Red Sox manager Terry Francona was enthused about adding yet another weapon to his bullpen. Manny Delcarmen and Mike Timlin have also pitched well over the last few weeks, and Julian Tavarez just moved to the rotation from the bullpen, adding further depth.

"I think it's very big," Francona said. "We have a responsibility to communicate to these relievers that there's not a disappointment in what they've done. If anything, we're thrilled to death with the way they've handled their innings. We're trying to make the club better for the long haul. Our sights are pretty high. And we will communicate that with everybody, just to make sure they understand."

Gabbard, who is 4-0 with a 3.73 ERA, was scheduled to pitch for the Red Sox on Wednesday night. The homegrown product -- the Red Sox drafted him in 2000 -- had done a nice job filling in for the ailing Curt Schilling. With Schilling set to return to the rotation on either Sunday or Monday, the Red Sox would have had to take a starter out of the rotation. Now, Schilling simply takes the spot vacated by Gabbard.

"It's a good time to underscore the contribution that Kason Gabbard made this year," Epstein said. "Because at a very vulnerable time for the club, when Curt Schilling was down, he stepped up and couldn't have performed better in that role."

The left-handed-hitting Murphy was Boston's first round Draft selection in 2003. He hit .280 with 20 doubles, nine homers and 47 RBIs in 100 games at Triple-A Pawtucket this season. Beltre, who is just 17 years old, was signed as an international free agent last year. He spent this season with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox, hitting .215 with five homers and 13 RBIs.

The most significant aspect of this deal for the Red Sox is that they didn't have to part with any of their elite prospects, a group that includes, among others, Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester and Justin Masterson.

Despite leading the American League East since April 18 -- in fact, the Sox had an eight-game cushion entering Tuesday -- they were not content to stand pat.

"I'm proud of this year's team," said Epstein. "As Tito said, we have our sights set pretty high. There's going to be a big seventh and eight inning in there somewhere where we need Hideki Okajima and Eric Gagne to get us through that, and to get the ball to Jonathan Papelbon. We had the opportunity to make this deal without dramatically impacting our farm system."

What made Gagne decide to forego his no-trade clause?

"I think it was really about the comfort of the fit, making sure that we'd be able to preserve his routine," said Epstein. "It might be in the eighth inning, more often than not, than the ninth inning. But he can still have a routine. Tito is exceptional at protecting relievers, making sure they know when they're going to pitch. I think once we were able to communicate through [agent] Scott Boras and directly to Eric that we could take care of him and make sure he stays healthy and effective, that we'd have a pretty darned good chance of doing some special things together ... it was primarily the fit."

Gagne has incentives in his contract that are bases on how many games he finishes. Epstein said the sides were able to work that out.

"His contract was set up as a closer with some incentives out there that he would have earned had he stayed in Texas in a closing role," said Epstein. "We came to a very equitable resolution fairly quickly about that."

Epstein also cited the fact that the Red Sox will receive Draft compensation for Gagne should he depart as a free agent as a factor in the deal.

The addition of Gagne seemed to be endorsed throughout the clubhouse.

"We need a guy like that to come in and do what he knows how to do," said Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. "He's got good stuff. I had about two, three at-bats against him [in June] and tried to figure him out. He really had it going on."

Epstein had someone watching Gagne pitch virtually all season.

"We've been very impressed with Eric this year," Epstein said. "Our scouts have followed him since the beginning of the season. We've been sitting on him for about the last four to six weeks. He has an excellent fastball and it's really made even better by his secondary stuff. He's got that great Bugs Bunny changeup and change-of-pace, slow curveball that will drop in for a strike, and incredible know-how. [He has] just great makeup on the mound to pitch in tight situations."

The Red Sox are hopeful that the tightest of those situations will occur late in the month of October.

Curt Schilling Done With Rehab Starts

2007-08-01T13:20:06Z

7/37/2007

Curt Schilling said he knew by the fifth inning.

But the veteran pitcher went another two frames for the heck of it, proving he is ready to rejoin his Boston teammates after throwing seven innings of shutout baseball for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox in what he hopes is his final Minor League rehab outing.

In fact, Schilling said he could have gone longer if need be.

In his third rehab appearance with PawSox, Schilling scattered four hits, did not issue a walk and struck out four host Columbus Clippers in Pawtucket's 5-4 win in 10 innings.

Of course, results meant little to Schilling, whose main concern was how his right shoulder continues to feel since being placed on the disabled list since June 19 with tendinitis.

"I threw a lot of strikes, used different pitches, worked on my command and got some quick outs," Schilling said. "To get up and down seven times, warm up and feel strong is a good thing."

Assuming the 40-year-old right-hander feels no ill effects over the next few days, he could be back in the Boston rotation as early as Aug. 5 against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Schilling is 6-4 with a 4.20 ERA in 94 1/3 Major League innings this season, with 71 strikeouts and 19 walks.

In his previous two outings with the PawSox, the six-time All-Star had struck out a combined 14 batters while allowing just four hits over eight scoreless innings. Add Tuesday's start, and he's tallied a total of 15 scoreless innings.

"I'm healthy and I'm strong. That's all that counts," Schilling declared. "These [scoreless] innings don't count toward trying to win a pennant. It's starts counting again Sunday or Monday."

Schilling didn't flinch Tuesday when his defense proved shaky early, with shortstop Jed Lowrie allowing the second batter of the game to reach on a throwing error. Three pitches later, Schilling struck out Michael Restovich to end the threat.

He needed only nine pitches to get through the second, picking up his second strikeout when George Lombard went down looking to end the inning.

Schilling surrendered his first hit with two outs in the fourth on a comebacker that smacked off his shin. Again, he needed only three pitches to get out of the inning.

Asked if the ball stung him, Schilling replied, "No, he didn't hit it hard enough."

The Clippers reached two more times over the next three innings but got no further than first base, grounding out to end each frame.

"Contrary to the first couple times out, my splitter wasn't working very well tonight," Schilling said. "I just couldn't bounce it. But when they made contact, they got some ground-ball outs."

Before Schilling left for the locker room, the PawSox backed their celebrity starter with a pair of early runs. Lowrie reached on a double in the first and scored three batters later on a fielder's choice by Brandon Moss.

In the second, the first two PawSox reached on singles, with George Kottaras scoring on Bobby Scales' sacrifice fly to center field.

One-out RBI hits in the sixth by Jeff Bailey and Kottaras handed Schilling a 4-0 lead.

That advantage didn't last long after Schilling headed for the showers. Reliever Craig Breslow promptly dished up four runs in the eighth that ultimately forced extra innings.

Before Columbus' late rally, it wasn't lost on Schilling that throughout his start, he was loudly supported by the 7,114 fans at Cooper Stadium. They greeted him with standing ovations when he entered and exited the game.

This from fans in their first season supporting the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals after 31 years as the New York Yankees' top Minor League team.

"It's just Red Sox Nation," Schilling said with a knowing shrug. "It's no surprise. They're like ants, they're everywhere."

Columbus manager John Stearns called the pregame atmosphere "Major League" -- before Schilling even stepped foot on the mound he last graced 18 years ago as a member of the Rochester Red Wings.

During the 1989 season, a young Schilling went 1-2 in three starts against the Clippers.

Although Columbus is a good two-hour-plus plane ride from Boston, Schilling said it felt like he was pitching home, not in old enemy territory.

"[Red Sox] fans in every city are loud enough to make you feel like you're in Boston," he said.

If Schilling has his way, he won't have to pretend much longer.

Manny Wins Player of the Week

2007-08-01T13:35:31Z

7/30/2007

The majestic shot carried and carried until it fell into Jacobs Field's center-field shrubbery, 481 feet away from home plate.

The first of Manny Ramirez's two homers in Boston's 14-9 dusting of Cleveland on Thursday was the third-longest homer in the 14-year history of Jacobs Field and undeniably the loudest shot of the Red Sox left-fielder's resurgent week, one which earned him American League Player of the Week honors on Monday.

"He's incredible. He's one of the greatest, pretty much of all-time," said Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp. "And he's still in the game and still fairly young. You come to expect those things from him."

In fact, no active AL player has won the Player of the Week Award more times than Ramirez.

His latest, the 15th in the 35-year-old's remarkable big league career, came after a week in which Ramirez hit .393 with four doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs. It all added up to send a clear message: Ramirez is officially back.

Earlier this season, the 11-time All-Star had trouble rediscovering his power stroke. Ramirez entered the All-Star break hitting .284 with just 11 homers and 45 RBIs.

"I think he knew he was uncomfortable," Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He was worried about where his hands were, things like that. He still has the ability to get hits, even when he's not comfortable. When he gets comfortable, he has a chance to be Manny."

Well, hello, Manny. Ramirez is hitting .388 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 18 games since the All-Star break.

No day better encapsulated Ramirez's renewed dominance than Thursday. Ramirez, after starting his night off by rocketing a Cliff Lee fastball onto the second level of Jacobs Field's center-field shrubbery, finished with a pair of homers, four RBIs and four runs scored.

"Everybody was getting excited about that," Red Sox outfielder Wily Mo Pena said. "They had me laughing about it. It was unbelievable."

Unbelievable, but not surprising.

"We've come to expect it," Francona said. "He's kind of set the bar high for himself. That first pitch he swung at [Thursday], that ball went a long way. It's fun to watch."

Also considered for the honor, which is presented by Bank of America, were Seattle's Adrian Beltre (.379, seven doubles, 13 RBIs), Kansas City's Ross Gload (.500, .833 slugging percentage, five doubles), Detroit's Curtis Granderson (.750 slugging percentage, two doubles, a triple, three homers) and Oakland's Mike Piazza (.429, two doubles, two homers, 10 RBIs).

Brendon Donnelly Done for Season

2007-08-01T13:23:56Z

7/31/2007

On the very day that the Red Sox added Eric Gagne to the league's best relief corps, the Boston bullpen felt a stinging loss.

Brendan Donnelly announced that he will miss the rest of this season -- and most of the next -- after undergoing Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow. Dr. Lewis Yocum will perform the operation in Inglewood, Calif., on Friday or Tuesday of next week.

Thus ends a difficult chapter in Donnelly's Major League career. The right-hander broke into the Majors as a 30-year-old rookie in 2002 and immediately made an impact. He became one of Anaheim's most reliable arms -- and, with his signature goggles, one of their most popular players -- down the stretch that year. In the 2002 World Series, he allowed only one hit in 7 2/3 scoreless innings for the World Series championship-winning Angels.

In 2003, Donnelly made the American League All-Star team as a setup man, eventually posting a 1.58 season ERA in 74 innings. He remained a fixture in the Angels' 'pen until he was traded to the Red Sox for Minor Leaguer Phil Seibel in December 2006.

As time passed, Donnelly developed pain in his forearm.

"It's been going on for several years," he said. "It's been going on. But there's really been no signs of it breaking down over the last three years, until now."

On June 15 against the Giants, Donnelly felt tightness in his forearm while warming up, and the Red Sox shut him down. An MRI showed swelling in the muscle.

Twice Donnelly attempted to return from the injury, only to experience setbacks.

"We tried everything ... to come back," Donnelly said. "By doing the surgery now, it gives me an opportunity to pitch next year and, you know, four, five years down the line. As opposed to just keeping fighting through, day by day, wondering when the day's going to come that it's just [not going to work]."

"He gave a pretty valiant effort," said manager Terry Francona. "Sometimes you come to the realization, 'OK, it's time to get fixed.'"

In many ways, the news for the supremely competitive Donnelly came as a relief. He spent 10 years in the Minors with eight organizations before he made the Majors. He persisted through the pain. Now, he has no choice but to sit. No more "running in sand" or "spinning your wheels," performing without knowing the mysterious source of the elbow pain.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said Donnelly knew he needed surgery as long ago as the end of the team's recent road trip. But he withheld the news, allowing Epstein to work from a bargaining position of strength while the team pursued a right-hander before the trade deadline.

"We certainly appreciate that and wish him the best with his recovery," Epstein said.

The recommended recovery period from Tommy John surgery usually runs between a year and two years. But Donnelly told the media he "should be back within a year or less."

"Knowing his personality, day in and day out, he's probably going to move ... up [the recovery period] a little bit," said fellow reliever Mike Timlin. "He may set the record."

Said Donnelly, "This is what we're going to do: we're going to go fix it and make it right and continue on pitching after that."

Dice-K's duel with Kazmir morphs into late-game slugfest

2007-08-01T13:38:33Z

7/29/2007

In the midst of a scoreless duel with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Daisuke Matsuzaka had visions of tucking an 0-2 splitter well below the hitting zone of Dioner Navarro. Furthermore, the plan was for Navarro to fish for the pitch and strike out, keeping Matsuzaka's Sunday gem intact.

The plan went awry as soon as the baseball left Matsuzaka's right hand. The pitch stayed up instead of sinking down. The barrel of Navarro's bat squarely found the meaty pitch and, next thing you know, the baseball had gone over the wall in left and the Red Sox were on their way to a 5-2 loss to the Devil Rays.

"Since he hit it, I guess it was a mistake," Matsuzaka said through translator Masa Hoshino. "The pitch I threw was a forkball or split-finger. With both teams at zero runs at that point, it was a situation I most wanted to avoid. I'm disappointed I let him hit that ball. Yes, I was going for a swing and miss there."

There would be no grand finale for the Red Sox at the end of their seven-game swing through Cleveland and Tampa Bay. A successful road trip ended with a 5-2 mark and an eight-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East.

Not long after Matsuzaka's lone mistake, the game got out of hand against Manny Delcarmen. The right-hander who had been so good of late surrendered back-to-back homers to B.J. Upton (three-run shot) and Carlos Pena. So a half-inning that began with the teams tied ended with the Red Sox staring at a five-run deficit.

"That's why we went to Manny, so that wouldn't happen," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "He threw two [pitches] right in the middle of the plate. Dice-K was so good, his offspeed all day was sharp. He left his split up enough to Navarro. It got away more than we wanted to, in a hurry."

The Red Sox did get back-to-back homers from Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis with two outs in the eighth, but the visitors would get no closer.

Watching the homers by his teammates was a little bittersweet for Delcarmen, who wondered what might have been.

"For the most part, I got a little frustrated because we scored two the next inning, and take away those runs and we're up by one," said Delcarmen. "It just shows that when you make a mistake, they're going to hit it up here [in the Major Leagues]."

Left-hander Scott Kazmir, who has handled the Red Sox in similar dominant fashion in the past, didn't seem to make any mistakes. Before departing with six innings and 97 pitches, he held the Red Sox to six hits and no runs while striking out eight.

"He was striking out everybody, it seemed like," said Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli. "He's got that fastball that seems to ride up on hitters, and it's hard to lay off of. He has the ability to strike guys out with a good fastball and a good tight slider."

Matsuzaka (12-8, 3.75 ERA) gave up eight hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out six.

Coming off his 1-0 win over C.C. Sabathia, Matsuzaka came up just short of matching that performance.

"When our lineup is unable to produce runs, I feel that it's my job to hold them to zero runs," Matsuzaka said. "In that sense, I'm very disappointed today."

This was also the first time Matsuzaka had thrown to Mirabelli instead of Jason Varitek, thanks to the 12-inning game on Saturday night.

"I thought they did a good job," said Francona. "They sat down today before the game and Jason sat with him and they did a good job. There were no problems there."

One of the most interesting questions posed to Matsuzaka was how his feel for the baseball right now compares to his final couple of years with the Seibu Lions. The ball used in Japan is said to be smaller and not as slick as the one used in the Major Leagues.

"If my feel for the ball while I was pitching for Seibu was about a 10, I'd give myself about a six right now," Matsuzaka said. "Still, I think the important thing is to pitch well in challenging spots. Of course I didn't want them to hit that home run today, but there's nothing I can do about it now."

Up next for Matsuzaka will be yet another start against Ichiro Suzuki and the Mariners on Saturday night in Seattle. That will mark the fourth time Matsuzaka has pitched against the Mariners.

Matsuzaka tosses seven innings as Boston shuts down Tribe

2007-08-01T13:41:44Z

7/24/2007

It was four hours before he was scheduled to take the mound. But there Daisuke Matsuzaka was on a sun-splashed Tuesday afternoon, standing on the mound at a near-empty Jacobs Field. The right-hander rocked back into his windup and went into a full release several times. There was no baseball in his hand, but Matsuzaka was clearly trying to rediscover the groove that had been absent in his last three starts.

Once it came time to pitch for real, the Matsuzaka the Red Sox came to love in the month of June was back. The right-hander from Japan turned in a dominant performance on a night he needed to, lifting the Red Sox to a 1-0 victory over the Indians and C.C. Sabathia.

"I'm grateful for the one run that my teammates were able to score against him, and that obviously made the difference," Matsuzaka said through translator Masa Hoshino. "We had won some games in a row coming into this game, I'm very glad that I didn't stop the winning streak."

The Red Sox have now won five in a row to keep the red-hot Yankees 7 1/2 games back in the American League East. The streak has coincided with David Ortiz missing the last four games with a strained left shoulder.

"We're going to quit trying to do that," Francona said. "[Ortiz is] going to play [on Wednesday]. I think he took enough grief from everybody about that. We'll take our chances with him."

Over seven shutout innings, Matsuzaka (12-7, 3.79 ERA) gave up four hits while walking three and striking out five. Matsuzaka, who was legendary for the amount of pitches he could throw in a game in Japan, was at a modest 98 pitches after seven. But Francona, with his dominant 1-2 punch of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon waiting, went to the bullpen.

"I certainly felt OK for continuing to pitch in the eighth inning," Matsuzaka said. "The manager came up to me and said that Okajima and Papelbon would take it from here. When you hear those names, it's tough to argue. I'm sure the manager is very happy to have those guys in the back of the bullpen. My goal going forward is continue working hard and help ease the burden on our great bullpen."

Francona's main motive for going to Okajima in the eighth instead of Matsuzaka is that it turned Victor Martinez around to the right side, and also gave the Sox a lefty-lefty matchup with the highly dangerous Travis Hafner.

Okajima (0.91 ERA) and Papelbon (23 saves) took it home by retiring all six they faced.

To be sure, this was a collective effort by the 61-39 Sox. Wily Mo Pena ran face-first into the wall to make a nice catch in left off Casey Blake in the fifth. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia threw out Hafner from short right field to end that same inning. Kevin Youkilis pounced on a bunt and nabbed lead runner Ben Francisco in the seventh.

"That was a play that I don't think a lot of first basemen attempt, let alone make it," Francona said. "How do you know at the time what's going to be enough? That's why you play a good defensive game, you get pitching, the team looks crisp, then you score one and it's enough."

It might not have been enough, if Mike Lowell's bloop into left in the fourth inning didn't fall just in front of Francisco to bring home Youkilis with what wound up the game's only run.

"I was just hoping, like any other time, that a bloop hit might fall," said Lowell. "I [was] hoping it drops and it worked out."

Not much else worked out against Sabathia, who fell short in his quest for win No. 14 through no fault of his own.

"He's great," said Lowell. "He's a dominating pitcher. He's so big, it looks like he's throwing the ball at about 30 feet away. There's some big guys who throw 88 [mph], but it's a little difference when a guy is throwing 96 with a good slider and a good changeup. ... He definitely has the ability to shut down offenses. He's an elite pitcher in this league, there's no doubt about it."

What was the difference for Matsuzaka in this one compared to the previous three outings, during which he had a 7.31 ERA?

"I think my stuff was about the same, but I definitely felt my control was better today and I felt I was able to pitch well with runners on board," Matsuzaka said.

Matsuzaka had a difficult first inning, throwing 26 pitches. But he was able to wiggle out of it without a run, striking out Jhonny Peralta on a splitter to end the inning.

"They made him work," Francona said. "Thankfully, he worked out of it. You don't know at the time when we score that one run that it's going to hold up. He got into the flow of the game and really kicked it in gear."

All in all, it was a gratifying night for the Sox.

"That's a good lineup," said Francona. "That was a Major League game pitched by both guys. You're not going to see too many 1-0 games here against that lineup."

Dice-K, waterlogged offense struggle

2007-08-01T13:45:38Z

7/20/2007

Sometimes it takes just one swing for a team to reverse its momentum. The Red Sox, for just an instant, thought they received that swing from the big bat of Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the seventh inning of a very long Thursday night at Fenway.

With two on and one out and the home team down by a run, the ball soared off Ramirez's bat and a packed house of 36,913 roared with approval. And then they groaned in disbelief.

Ramirez's well-struck drive tailed to the deepest part of Fenway Park, giving White Sox center fielder Jerry Owens just enough time to make a terrific catch in front of the side railing on the wall of the Boston bullpen. Kevin Youkilis then struck out to end the inning, prompting more groans in what wound up a 4-2 loss to the White Sox. The game started nearly two hours late because of rain and the Red Sox left the park still feeling a little soggy.

"If Manny's ball goes a foot the other way, I'm sitting here saying it's nice to get a big hit like that and that was a very, very good swing," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "We came up empty. It hurts."

Look no further than Ramirez's near miss to sum up what wasn't just a defining night in a game, but in a stretch of baseball in which the Red Sox have sputtered.

The Sox are now 3-5 with three games left on this 11-game homestand. With a chance to boost their lead over the Yankees back up to eight games in the American League East, the Sox instead maintained their seven-game edge while slipping to 20-24 since May 30.

Though the Red Sox stung 11 hits, they didn't seem to add up on a night Daisuke Matsuzaka fell to 11-7.

"When you get a lot of hits, and you don't score runs, you're not going to win games," said Sox shortstop Julio Lugo. "This was a tough game for us. That's all. We put some balls in play, we didn't score runs."

But this was by no means a loss you could hang on the offense. Matsuzaka, as he readily acknowledged after the game, was inconsistent. In fact, it was the third start in a row that Matsuzaka (five-plus innings, two hits, three runs, six walks, six strikeouts) was less than stellar.

This, coming immediately after a six-start run in which he was nothing short of brilliant.

"Just from the outset today, I wasn't able to throw any strikes," Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino. "So that was the difference."

For the second time in three starts, Matsuzaka did not have a side session in between. The Red Sox are trying to help the right-hander avoid fatigue in his first year of pitching in a five-man rotation.

Red Sox Heading in the Right Direction

2007-07-05T07:54:00Z

7/5/2007

In 2007, in the AL East, nearly every day is now a holiday. From here on out, the Red Sox will have more than their share of chances to take the day off and still bring home the bacon.

Playing without usual starters Manny Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek, the Red Sox essentially defeated the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 7-5, yesterday with one hand tied behind their backs.

Going forward, the best thing the Sox have going for them is that they will face these Devil Rays another 16 times, though that is only half of the story.

Of the Sox’ final 79 games, a whopping 29 are against the Devil Rays and Baltimore Orioles, the two worst teams in the division. And as things stand, the Sox will play only 21 more games against teams currently with winning records, none in the decrepit and overhyped AL East.

With the Sox leading the division by 11 1/2 games and with a schedule now softer than a slipper full of Cool Whip, we all know what that means.

Catching them will be almost impossible.

“I don’t put stock in it,” said third baseman Mike Lowell when asked about the remaining schedule. “I think the good thing is that with the way our pitching staff is, we’re a tough team to beat three, four or five times in a row because our starters are so good. I think we focus on ourselves. If we do that, we’ll be fine.

“I don’t think we focus on what other teams do.”

That is the beauty of being out in front.

Everyone else has to worry about you.

Of course, there is still a lot of baseball to be played this season, though by now the foundation has been poured for most everyone. We know the Red Sox are a good team. We just do not know if they are a great one. There has been enough evidence in the last several days to reaffirm both.

Last week, against a Seattle team that has one of the best bullpens in the American League, the Sox were swept; this week, against the Texas Rangers and Devil Rays, they now have won three straight. With or without Curt Schilling, the Sox are going to manhandle teams like the Devil Rays, who simply do not have the pitching to match up.

Yesterday, the Sox basically played without their Nos. 2, 4, 5 and 7 hitters, and they took a 7-1 lead into the seventh inning behind their No. 4 starter. The victory improved the Sox’ record to a platinum 45-2 when leading or tied after six innings, the best winning percentage in the American League.

Don’t be fooled.

This game was not nearly as close as the final score suggested given who played, who did not and where the game rested after the sixth inning.

“We did some good things,” Sox manager Terry Francona said. “A couple of guys didn’t play and we were still able to have some production throughout the lineup. We talk so much about wanting to use the whole team, and we do, and it’s nice when you get rewarded with it, too.”

Naturally, almost nothing comes with a guarantee. The Red Sox generally have been healthy to this point and they have taken care of business while their primary competitors in the division, New York and Toronto, are an aggregate five games under .500 with combined payrolls of roughly $280 million.

More Red Sox Imports

2007-07-05T07:42:00Z

7/5/2007

Though it might not bring them players directly, the alliance between the Red Sox and Chiba Lotte Marines, announced Tuesday night before a press conference yesterday afternoon, should give the Sox a chance to work with the Japanese team on scouting methods and information, as well as statistical analysis. The plan is to aid in the acquisition of talent from Asia.

"I think this will help both Japanese and American baseball," Sox vice president of international scouting Craig Shipley said from Japan. "We see this as an alliance that will allow us to learn more about the way they develop players, the way they scout players, about the way they teach the players. They also want to learn from us the way we do those things, to make their system better. It's not something we're doing to come over here and raid Japanese baseball. It's something we want to do together to grow baseball not only in Japan but throughout Asia."

It's a learning and development agreement that will include contingents from each organization traveling to see the other's training programs.

"I think a lot of teams have these agreements and it's a piece of paper and it gets filed away in a drawer," Shipley said. "We hope to make this like a living, breathing, panoply of different endeavors. And one that we've already discussed is taking a team of coaches this winter to not only Japan, but Korea, Taiwan, and China."

For now, Chiba Lotte is best known in the United States for employing former major league manager Bobby Valentine, who guided the Marines to the Japan Series title in 2005. Valentine, among others, helped the Red Sox obtain statistical data in their campaign to sign Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima.

But, for an organization once not welcome in Japan, something that was rectified only recently through the efforts of Shipley and Sox Pacific Rim coordinator Jon Deeble, it's a positive step.

"For too many years, we turned our back on the high-caliber baseball that was being played in that part of the world," general manager Theo Epstein said. "So now this is a reawakening for us."

Okajima to All Star Game?

2007-07-05T07:35:00Z

7/5/2007

With fan ballots coming in at a frenzied record pace, more than 15.5 million thus far, the races for the 32nd and final spot on each league's All-Star roster are still too close to call as the Monster 2007 All-Star Final Vote enters its final 24 hours on MLB.com.

Hideki Okajima of the Red Sox maintained his narrow lead over Jeremy Bonderman of the Tigers and the three other candidates for the final roster spot on the American League ballot. They are followed by Pat Neshek of the Twins, Kelvim Escobar of the Angels and Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays.

On the National League ballot, San Diego's Chris Young sustained his spot at the top, followed closely by Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs, Roy Oswalt of the Astros, Tom Gorzelanny of the Pirates and Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks.

The sixth annual Monster All-Star Final Vote ballot commenced exclusively on MLB.com at approximately 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the nominees presented by each league's manager -- Tony La Russa in the NL and Jim Leyland in the AL. The latest update was through 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

In addition to MLB.com, fans also are casting many votes via their mobile phones by texting the word "Vote" to 36197 in the U.S. or to 88555 in Canada. In either case, that will prompt a ballot to be sent to your mobile phone and you then can text your pick.

Young has led the NL in each day's update, and he only helped himself by throwing seven scoreless innings in San Diego's 1-0 victory over the Marlins on Wednesday night. He struck out nine and walked none. He already had possessed the best home ERA (0.94) and opponents' batting average (.197) in the Majors, and although he left with a no-decision, his overall ERA dropped to an even 2.00. Even Zambrano has said repeatedly this week that it's hard to imagine Young not being in the All-Star Game.

During Young's outing, the computers in the main concourse at PETCO Park continued to be occupied by fans voting online at padres.com. And throughout the game, video clips of Padres starting pitcher Jake Peavy and Hoffman -- both All-Stars already -- continued to play in an effort to get fans to text in votes for Young from PETCO Park.

"That almost means more than going itself," Young said. "You know the guys, the city, the organization, to be so supportive and so outgoing, that means more than even getting to go to the game."

Okajima took over the AL lead from Bonderman in Tuesday's daily update and is bidding to join teammates David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell on the AL roster in San Francisco. Okajima not only has the strength of a very global Red Sox Nation fan base, but also a massive high-tech voting bloc in his native Japan.

"The two most passionate baseball nations in the universe, someone said," Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino said. "Japan and Red Sox."

Red Sox Sweep Devil Rays

2007-07-04T23:39:00Z

7/4/2007

It might have been his idea, he said, to employ a safety squeeze bunt to drive home the first run of the game. Or it might have come from the dugout. Either way, he wasn't telling. It worked. That was enough information to release.

After Coco Crisp opened the bottom of the first inning with a triple to right field, Cora -- one of four bench players to start for the Red Sox yesterday -- bunted an Edwin Jackson pitch toward first base. And, though Cora didn't reach safely, Crisp made it home, launching a 7-5 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays that left the Sox looking for the sweep tonight.

"We don't see ourselves as reserves," Cora said. "We're starters in that situation. Obviously, I always say, I'm not going to hide from it, everybody wants to play every day. In this situation, we're not. But you prepare yourself every day as if you're a starter, and [manager Terry Francona is] not afraid to put you in. That's a good thing."

Between Cora's squeeze, Jacoby Ellsbury's opposite-field RBI double, and Doug Mirabelli's two-run single, four of the seven Sox RBIs were produced by bench players -- with J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell (two-run home run into the third row of the Monster seats in the fifth) delivering the other three. It was a good sign for a lineup that had suffered through weeks of low-scoring games, its stars mired in slumps or power outages, leaving too many men on base.

"When we were struggling, quote, unquote, we had men on," Cora said. "We start getting those two-out base hits, that's when everything starts clicking. We did that yesterday with Julio [Lugo], and today I think Ellsbury, Dougie. When you do that, you start scoring runs. They're going to make pitches, but when we start getting two-out hits, momentum shifts."

Ellsbury's and Mirabelli's hits qualified, bumping the score to 4-1 in the fourth after singles by David Ortiz and Lowell. Ellsbury's RBI was his first in the big leagues, and Mirabelli's single broke an 0-for-10 slump. The Sox added three in the fifth for a 7-1 lead, giving them the breathing room they needed.

A blowout turned into a close game when Javier Lopez couldn't pick up starter Tim Wakefield. Inheriting a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the seventh, Lopez allowed a double to Carl Crawford that scored two, followed by a single to Carlos Peña that also scored two. Lopez struck out the only righthanded batter he faced, with the two lefties getting hits.

"On a day when the ballpark's playing very small, he was really good," Francona said of Wakefield (6 1/3 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs). "We got to a point in the seventh where they threw up some quick hits and we were pretty comfortable where we were with our bullpen, and it didn't work out probably the way we anticipated.

"The way the whole game was played, you score first and then you add on, and it allows for something like that to happen in the course of the game and you don't lose."

Because suddenly, the lead was trimmed to 7-5. But Manny Delcarmen got pinch hitter Jonny Gomes looking at a fastball to end the inning.

"If I keep doing my job and getting guys out, I'm pretty sure he's going to keep putting me in there," Delcarmen said.

Delcarmen's increased velocity and better location put him in perfect position to earn a more permanent stay in his hometown, even as two fellow righthanded pitchers (Brendan Donnelly, Joel Piñeiro) become ready to come off the disabled list.

So, despite that anomaly in the seventh inning, the Red Sox pitched well and scored seven runs without regulars Manny Ramírez, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and Jason Varitek.

Asked whether he was pleased with the offense and whether it signaled more consistency going forward, Francona said, "Well, today. It is game to game. Sometimes you ask about momentum, or something like that. It kind of starts and ends with your pitcher and maybe theirs.

"But we did do some good things. We gave a couple guys [a day off] and we're still able to have some production throughout the lineup. We talk so much about wanting to use the whole team -- and we do -- and it's nice when you get rewarded with it."

Dice K Makes Sushi Out of Rays

2007-07-03T23:47:00Z

7/3/2007

Lost amid the overall inconsistency by the Red Sox in the month of June was the full-fledged groove that Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched himself into. If his inaugural July outing was any indication, Matsuzaka is ready to go on the type of dominant run that made him a legend back in Japan.

The right-hander used a filthy arsenal of pitches -- not to mention some slick glove work -- to silence the Devil Rays, 4-1, on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

If not for the 122 pitches Matsuzaka (nine strikeouts, four hits, one walk) logged over eight innings, he likely would have been granted the opportunity to go after his first Major League shutout.

Matsuzaka's final pitch was an 86-mph changeup that froze fellow Japanese rookie Akinori Iwamura for strike three. A deafening roar filled Fenway as Matsuzaka strode back to the dugout.

"That was right where he needed to end," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "And if he agreed, I know it was right, because I have to wrestle him some nights."

Is Red Sox Nation getting a full-fledged look at the guy who thrived for the Seibu Lions for the last eight years?

"I don't yet think that it's complete," Matsuzaka said of his transition. "But I do feel like I'm getting back to a good spot, and I've really been experiencing that over the past few starts."

This was the fourth consecutive start Matsuzaka allowed one run or less, and he hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last six starts. During that glittering stretch, his ERA has gone from 4.83 to 3.53. And in all six of those outings, Matsuzaka recorded eight strikeouts or more.

"He's doing an outstanding job," said Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell. "For him, a pitcher that has dominant stuff, as guys see him more, the hitters have to adjust to them more than he has to adjust to the league, so that's going to be a good thing for us. He can throw three, four pitches for strikes. That's to our advantage."

After being plagued by a lack of run support in recent weeks, Matsuzaka had enough offense at his back in this one to run his record to 10-5.

"As a starting pitcher, having run support early on in the game of course helps, but today, I wasn't too worried about the score," said Matsuzaka. "Similar to before, I wasn't worried."

The Red Sox were able to get the best of a pitcher (Scott Kazmir) who has handcuffed them more than they'd care to remember in recent years.

Tickets for Red Sox and San Francisco Giants

2007-06-12T08:14:00Z

Tickets for the Red Sox and Giants may be purchased at Front Row King or at All Good Seats. All games in this series are sold out. Catch Barry Bonds on his quest for Hank Aaron's Record.

Front Row King: Tickets
All Good Seats: Tickets

Who Is Jerry Remy?

2007-06-12T08:08:00Z

Jerry Remy became NESN's color commentator in March 1988. A longtime Fenway Park fan favorite, the former second baseman played seven seasons with the Red Sox from 1978-84 after breaking into the Majors with the Angels in 1975. A preseason trade brought the Somerset, Mass., native home in 1978, when he hit .278, scored 87 runs, stole 30 bases and was selected to the American League All-Star team. Jerry batted .275 with seven homers and 329 RBIs in 1,154 career big-league games. In addition to his work with the Red Sox, Remy has also worked the Saturday Game of the Week with the Fox Network. His Web site, theremyreport.com, is popular among Red Sox fans. Prior to home games, Remy can often be found greeting fans at RemDawg's on Yawkey Way, the popular gathering spot near the corner of Yawkey Way and Van Ness Street, which opened July 21, 2004, and specializes in hot dogs with unique toppings.

Red Sox Host Colorado Rockies

2007-06-12T08:01:00Z

6/12/2007

When the Red Sox open up a six-game homestand against the Rockies on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, they'll be playing the type of Interleague Play they enjoy.

Unlike in Arizona, the DH is in effect, which means manager Terry Francona can trot out his "A" team. There will be no need to sit someone from the trio of Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz.

Ortiz, meanwhile, can toss aside his first baseman's mitt until June 18, when the Sox open a three-game set at Atlanta.

After a 3-4 road trip, the Red Sox will try to get back on a roll at Fenway, where they are 19-10 this season. Veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield takes the ball for the Sox. Aaron Cook counters for Colorado.

Todd Helton, who was rumored to be Boston-bound during the winter, will make his second career trip to Fenway.