Entries Tagged 'Daisuke Matsuzaka' ↓

First off, here are the specifics: David Ortiz is going to start at first base, leaving Kevin Youkilis and his OBP near .700 on the bench. Jon Lester returns to start Game 4, his first game since the final throws of the regular season. And Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury will try to follow up on one of the most dominant performances by rookies batting 1-2 in the order since, well, just about ever.

The Red Sox are a win away from a World Series title. Jon Lester could close out it tonight, and there’s little doubt he knows what’s at stake.

Oh yeah, the Sox can win the World Series with a victory, too. Probably worth mentioning.

With last night’s impressive outing from Daisuke Matsuzaka, hit-and-miss evening from the bullpen and savior act by the Red Sox bats, Boston moved within a win of its second title in four years. But despite all the good things that happened, the win also exposed the Red Sox for problems today. The bullpen is taxed, proven by Hideki Okajima suddenly becoming hittable, at least by Matt Holliday. And in a strong pride factor for Colorado - this is a team that DOES NOT want to get swept - and the Rockies should be favorites tonight.

Of course, that doesn’t take Lester into account, or Colorado starter Aaron Cook, for that matter. Both are former cancer victims, recovered to continue impressive careers. Lester has youth and a left-handed approach that differs from all the other starters the Rockies have seen from the Sox. Cook, meanwhile, has moxie but has not pitched in well more than a month. Try and get your head around a prediction from that matchup. Who knows what’s going to happen?

Then again, who ever knows what’s going to happen? Who saw that performance from Ellsbury and Pedroia coming? Good, sure. That good? Come on.

It was almost as hard to see a 3-0 lead coming too, which should give Sox fans a good feeling entering tonight. As always, that hardly means a win tonight and potential sweep is going to happen. But it has to be a good feeling.

– Cameron Smith

If tonight’s matchup scares you a little bit, it probably should. The Rockies may be reeling, down 2-0 in the best-of-seven World Series, but they’re coming home for Game 3, and they’re coming home to a crowd with an appetite for intimidation and winning streaks, not necessarily in that order.

Daisuke Matsuzaka will get a chance to hold a bat a couple of times, but it’s what he does to Colorado players wielding them that will chart the latest chapter in his postseason biography tonight.

Look, it’s no secret that Denver isn’t exactly St. Louis or Philadelphia, let alone a true baseball haven like Boston or New York. These aren’t your father’s Rockies because your father didn’t have Rockies. Colorado fans aren’t long suffering because they haven’t been around long. Only by Marlin and Diamondback circumstances can they be considered unlucky, and to that extent they deserve some credit. The Rockies may not sell out every game, but they do have loyal fans. The Red Sox are likely to discover that tonight.

Then again, neither the Rockies or their fans have discovered Daisuke Matsuzaka, either. The Japanese ace turned American waffler enters the World Series after batting an even .500 in the ALCS. He turned in a lackluster outing in Game 3 which put a severe damper on Boston’s expectations and, eventually, required their second near-miraculous comeback in four years. Yet he atoned for that bad, or at the very least, poorly timed, outing with a strong Game 7, 2 runs across five innings and a win in the team’s biggest game of the season. As a performance, under those circumstances, Dice-K’s Game 7 was worth a lot, and it went a long way toward quieting the critics that have attacked Theo Epstein and the Boston front office for over bidding on the Japanese star with five - or arguably six - pitches.

Still, despite his last game out, this is Dice-K’s chance to truly put a stamp on his season. A Win tonight would put the Rockies in a chokehold, their backs firmly against the wall. A bad Matsuzaka outing aloss, meanwhile, would give new life to a team that hardly needs room to breathe to resurrect a season, as they’ve proved time and time again. Ask the Dodgers. Or Diamondbacks. Or Padres. Actually, don’t ask the Padres, that might push them over the edge. We don’t need any suicides on our heads here.

While the attention may focus squarely on David Ortiz’s latest maiden voyage at first base, cameras cocked waiting for the lightest misstep, the real gleam will come from Matsuzaka or be extinguished by him. After all, as pitching goes, so goes the series. So far, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling have gone very well. If Matsuzaka goes well tonight, all will remain well back in the Fens, a place as cold and damp as Coors Field, yet much cheerier, at least at the moment.

– Cameron Smith, AP Photo

When Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the mound at Coors Field tonight, he will have answered questions about his guts and guile once in the postseason already. Still, his first response - a resoundingly solid, if not spectacular, five-inning outing against the Indians in Game 7 of the ALCS - was enough to quiet alarms that he had crumbled under the expectations of a monstrous salary and posting fee. But it wasn’t enough to answer all questions about whether he truly is a big game pitcher, at least in the major leagues.

It’s chilly in Colorado, but Daisuke Matsuzaka will have a chance to make a lot of his detractors warm to his performance and potential.

That, after all, was the primary reason the Red Sox splurged on his services over the winter. Matsuzaka filled a pressing need: a No. 2 or No. 3 starter, and he did so with immeasurable flair and panache. For the tidy sum of $103 million, the Sox expected to add a shutdown starter who possessed five, arguably six, pitches and a resume chock full of victories in notable international contests, let alone his historic high school exploits.

Through the first half of the season, it looked like Boston was on the winner’s side of that bargain. Dice-K keep batters mixed up and miffed, mowing down hitters at the second-fastest clip in the American League while working around problematic innings of walks and timely hits to rack up 12 wins. He easily could have had 15, if not for matchups against opposing aces on their best, like Seattle’s Felix Hernandez.

The second half was far different, making Matsuzaka’s former Japanese squad, Seibu, look like thieves of Sox owner John Henry’s money. Dice-K struggled, then fell into pits of awful pitching. He was shellacked by the lowly Baltimore Orioles. He looked like he was done, his fastball losing velocity and location.

Then, after a few extra days of rest, he bounced back. It was Matsuzaka’s night on the mound when the Sox clinched the AL East. A week later, he had a solid, if brief, outing against the Angels that set the tone for a 2-0 series lead in the ALDS. Then, in the aftermath of severe disappointment in ALCS Game 3, he bounced back for five innings and the all important win in Game 7, setting the stage for his start tonight.

It’s almost impossible to predict which Matsuzaka will show up tonight in Colorado. It could be the dominant ace from overseas, the one who commands five or six pitches and isn’t afraid to use any of them in any count. It could be the meek, shell-shocked Dice-K of the second half, waiting to duck to avoid a line drive in between pitches.

Or it could be the pitcher on the mound in Game 7, an amalgamation of the two, occasionally dominant, occasionally struggling, but always mustering enough moxie to get a big out. If that’s the guy who shows up, Boston should be in good shape.

– Cameron Smith, AP Photo

What, you thought the series hadn’t started yet? Au contraire, Pierre. The series really began yesterday, when the Red Sox and Rockies had to finalize rosters by 10 a.m., with both pulling what would have to be considered pretty significant surprises.

Tim Wakefield took to a microphone before the World Series rather than the mound, but that may save the team in the end.

On the Rockies side, Colorado added veteran starter Aaron Cook, a man who started Opening Day but hasn’t pitched since August 10 because of injuries and then had mixed results in a warm up simulated game last week. We’re not sure about that move, though we’ll admit that a part of it seems to look good for the Sox. We’ll see where the Series is at when he goes in Game 4.

But the man most expected he would see toeing the rubber for his opponent - Tim Wakefield - won’t be there. Wake was left off Boston’s series roster for the second time this postseason, opting to take a noble cue, and perhaps a nod from a miserable couple games at Coors Field in his past and passing the Game 4 buck to Jon Lester, in all probability.

While there are certainly die-hard loyalists that may be fuming over Wakefield’s ommission, be sure, it’s not a bad move. Consider all of the changes that the Boston rotation was going to have to force through to get Wake a start in the Series:

1) Wakefield was going to have to pitch Game 2, and then conceivably Game 6, because of his ineffectiveness at Coors Field’s altitude. It’s not his fault, the thin air completely deflates the drop of his knuckleball, which essentially turns Wakefield into your everyday rec softball pitcher. Not a nice scene.

2) Moving Wake to the 2 slot moves, Dice-K to the 4, which means he’s off the hook for Game 7. He had a pretty solid performance in the ALCS Game 7, maybe not a $103 million, but a solid one nonetheless. There’s no guarantees you’d get that from Wakefield in an elimination game. For concerns about starting a knuckleballer in a playoff elimination contest, just see the 2005 playoffs, re: Chicago White Sox.

3) With his previous back condition and emerging shoulder problems, there’s no reasonable assurance that he’d be healthy enough to go in a Game 6. That means the Sox could be dealing with a knuckleballer with two serious hang ups going in an elimination game. Not the best idea.

So, with all of these considerations in place, Terry Francona and Theo Epstein decided to go with the considerable lesser of two evils: starting a fire-balling rookie left hander who has struggled with control to split up righthanded power throwers, as opposed to a gimpy knuckleballer who struggles with control to split up righthanded power throwers. Is starting Lester a gamble? Sure, there’s no question. But it could pay off, too. After getting his jitters out in the late innings of Game 2 against the Indians, Lester had a terrific relief spot in Game 4 at Jacobs Field. While a playoff start for the young cancer survivor might be even more prone to his trademark blend of passable yet always winnable results - 100 pitches, 2-3 runs in 5 innings - that might be enough to get the Sox by, particularly on the road in Colorado.

And the silver lining? By stepping in to take the Game 4 start, Lester allows the rest of the playoff rotation to line up as it has.

If memory serves, that worked out pretty well in the final three games against the Tribe.

– Cameron Smith

Like the ALDS and ALCS, we jumped on board with Red Sox Monster to be part of a Red Sox World Series roundtable, joining Red Sox Monster publisher Dan Lamothe (who kept his picks separate in a private podcast) and Red Sox Stats’ Guy’s Mike Colluci.

Without further ado, here’s the the full roundtable piece on the Monster, with my direct answers below as always.

1. One of the appealing things about the World Series is that teams that rarely meet get the chance to go head-to-head. Break things down for me, will you? Where do the Sox have advantages in your eyes, and conversely, where can the Rockies exploit the Sox?

The relative anonymity of players on opposing teams is always part of the novelty that makes the World Series so fascinating. Still, with the advent of interleague play, that’s been mitigated some, never more so than this year, when the Sox and Rockies actually DID play each other back in June. We all know how that turned out (Rockies took 2 of 3 … in Fenway), and that series kind of started both the Red Sox’ and Rockies’ long string of regular season mediocrity.

Still, what we saw in that series is only slightly relevant to the World Series. Consider the fact that Boston has different spots throughout the lineup (Youk was still bouncing around and Pedroia hadn’t moved to leadoff yet, let alone Ellsbury), while Troy Tulowitzki was still struggling with expectations and half the Rockies rotation was still being groomed in the minor leagues.

So, if we look at this World Series with a new slate, it seems to shake down like this: 1) The Red Sox lineup looks more formidable, particularly coming off an overall pasting of Cleveland for three straight games. 2) The Red Sox bullpen is more battle tested. Colorado got by in the NLDS and NLCS with long outings from their starters before the entrance of the wet-shirted Manny Corpas (check YouTube for that terrific splash before his entrance in Game 1 against Philly). But the Sox lineup is likely to be a lot more patient than either Philly’s or Arizona’s. 3) Josh Beckett looks like a significant upgrade over Jeff Francis in Game 1 (or over anyone else, for that matter), but after that the pitching looks almost like a push.

2. Obviously, one of the first things that will come up in any preview of this series is the way the Rockies exploded against Boston in June, taking the last two games in a three game series with a combined score of 19-3. Is there anything we should be alarmed about those losses, especially since Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling lost them? Or should they be considered isolated incidents?

As stated above, they seem more like isolated incidents. Certainly the Beckett start shouldn’t be too concerning. Schilling’s is more frustrating. With his penchant for dropping gopher balls in that loss, there’s no telling if Colorado could do the same thing again. Meanwhile, the lone Boston winner from that series - Tim Wakefield - isn’t even on the roster. Go figure, and call it a scratch.

3. Talk about the Rockies lineup a little bit, if you would. What strategy should Boston be using to deal with it? Who scares you in that lineup, other than the obvious answer (Matt Holliday’s regular season: .340, 36 HR, 137 RBI, SLG .607)?

Todd Helton is still terrifying, and if you have any doubts about it, check out his power numbers, particularly slugging to left field. Meanwhile, there’s good speed at the top of the order (see Taveras and Matsui) and Tulowitzki has been an absolute terror in the second half. That, of course, doesn’t even take Adkins into account, so there’s enough fear to go around. The leadoff tandem of Taveras and Matsui alone is enough reason to be happy Wakefield isn’t starting a game in the series (his ERA at Coors Field is another compelling one, but hey, we’ll stick with the speed).

4. Put yourself in Terry Francona’s shoes for a minute. How do you handle losing the designated hitter position during Game 3-5? Who should sit? Also, who do you think will sit?

This is perhaps the most brutal decision Francona has to make. Clearly, you can’t take Ortiz out of the lineup in the playoffs. Ever (unless you have a lead in the eighth or ninth inning, and you take him out for a defensive replacement). That leaves Youkilis and Lowell to platoon at third. Youkilis is on such a tear that it hurts to take him out of the lineup, but Lowell has better power, more RBI on the year and more experience at Coors Field. Put those two factors together, and it all seems to even out, doesn’t it? So, if we were Francona, we’d play the hot hand. If Youk is still batting .500, you’re not taking the man out of the lineup. If Lowell hits a homer and three doubles in Games 1 and 2, he’s your man. Now, here’s the real X-factor: What about Youk in right field? He played there down the stretch last year, and clearly you’d rather have Youk in the lineup than JD Drew, all recent heroics and solid hitting aside. Now, I don’t think Francona’s drastic enough to actually make that move, but it’s worth pointing out nonetheless.

That being said, it says here that Francona plays Lowell in Game 3, then checks his career numbers against Cook before deciding for Game 4. If they’re good, Mikey goes again. If they’re not, Youk comes in. And Papi stays in throughout, without question.

5. Alright, one last time: prediction time. Who ya got? It should be noted that no one has picked against the Sox in one of these roundtable discussions yet…. which means no one has been wrong yet, either.

Let it be known that it is EXTREMELY hard to pick against the Rockies the way they’ve been playing. They’re so hot it feels like they could melt right through the Colorado snow. And right now, everything manager Clint Hurdle touches seems to turn to gold. That being said, moving Aaron Cook into the starting rotation for Game 4 seems like a true twist and gamble. Why shake up the rotation now, when you’ve been rolling? Meanwhile, Terry Francona’s willingness to leave Wakefield off the roster, likely in favor of second-year rookie Jon Lester, should be applauded. It’s hard to leave a veteran and heart-and-soul guy like Wakefield off, but it’s clearly the right move with his health and track record.

Why am I prattling on this way? Because I think the series is so close that it could swing on two small decisions like that (conversely, who Francona plays at third in Games 3 and 4 could have the same affect). Game 1 is a must-win for the Sox, and - like the ALCS - I really think Game 2 is the key. If Boston wins the first two, they’re going to win this series. If they split, it could be trouble.

So what’s going to happen? Uggghhh, this one is brutal to predict. That being said, I’m going Sox. In six. Schilling closes it out. I think Beckett will win Games 1 and Game 5 in Colorado setting the stage. But like the ALCS, I wouldn’t be even slightly surprised if the Rockies walked off with this one, even though Boston clearly has a more balanced and complete team, with the regular season record as ample evidence.

I’m perfect in the playoffs so far, so here’s hoping that continues for one more round. Otherwise we’re in for some painful postmortem. Here’s hopin’.

– Cameron Smith

It doesn’t get much better than that.

Paps isn’t just a world class closer, he’s a world class partier, too.

The Red Sox exploded for the ALCS crown. They didn’t just win, they took a close game and blew it up to the tune of a nine-run victory. And five of those runs came from Boston’s newest favorite son, Mighty Mite Dustin Pedroia.

Manny knocked in the first run, but that was it from the big boys, Ramirez and Big Papi. The rest came from Pedroia, sudden star Kevin Youkilis. And naturally, Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon was there to close the door.

Of course all of this is to overlook the job done by Daisuke Matsuzaka. He wasn’t great, but was pretty close through the first three innings. The fourth and fifth were shaky, a run given up in each, but the Dice-Man flexed everything he had in the first three, striking batters out with high heat, darting cutters and a screwball that almost looked gyro-ish.

Now, as Sox players prepare to recover from a night when they all deserved their own Rachel Boston, they have a moment to breathe before what is almost sure to be a very chilly World Series. And guess who’s starting Game 1 Wednesday?

Yes, there is a gorgeous actress named Boston. We didn’t make it up. Check her imdb page here.

That’s right, Mr. F-bomb himself: Josh Beckett. Time to dial up the drama. Again. But let’s finish the celebrating first shall we?

Glasses up everyone, you know Papelbon’s was.

– Cameron Smith

Well folks, this is it. Like it or not, an entire baseball season comes down to one night for the two teams that shared the best regular season record.

This window shot was mighty lucky last night. Let’s see if it does the trick again for Game 7, eh?

For two historic baseball cities, tonight will be the difference between a trip to the World Series and an offseason made a little longer, and much tougher. While the Red Sox enter the game on a two-win surge, the Indians are reeling. Their twin aces - C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona - were both knocked around. Their No. 4 pitcher - Paul Byrd - is suddenly under investigation for HGH. Their closer - Joe Borowski - gave up hits and runs in last night’s blowout.

What does Cleveland have going for it? Jake Westbrook. The team’s No. 3 starter tossed a gem in their key Game 3 win, forcing Boston batters to drive liners into the ground and using a fantastic sinker ball to do exactly what Daisuke Matsuzaka couldn’t for the Sox: Get through six innings.

Really, that’s the $103 million question in tonight’s Game 7: Will Dice-K show up and be the pitcher Boston and Red Sox fans are ready to believe he is? Matsuzaka built up a resume worth $100 million by weaving magic throughout Japanese postseasons at all levels. He was brought to Boston to shore up a pitching staff and evolve into a true ace.

So far, he hasn’t quite done it. Matusuzaka’s Game 3 was good enough to possibly earn a win, but as with so many of his season starts, he found himself in trouble early, and then again later. By the second time Cleveland started racking up baserunners, Terry Francona couldn’t sit by anymore, pulling the Japanese ace for Manny Delcamen.

After the game Matsuzaka was inconsolable in the locker room. Days later he was telling the Japanese press that he wanted revenge. He gets that chance tonight, and with a little help from some Boston batters, it could make for the season’s best night yet. Or it could be the worst.

That’s up to Dice-K.

– Cameron Smith, Globe photo

How else can you describe last night’s Game 6 throttling of the Indians? A 40 year-old starter who showed up to spring training bigger than a blimp came through with a gutsy, seven-inning performance. The most maligned man in Boston hit a first inning grand slam and tacked on another RBI in his second trip up. Even Eric Gagne pitched a perfect inning.

J.D. Drew got a full swallow of redemption in the first inning last night.

Indeed, for all involved - especially Curt Schilling, J.D. Drew and Gagne - Game 6 was a true redemption song. And by singing that tune, the team added a sudden swing to the 2007 ALCS, forcing it into a do-or-die Game 7.

With plenty of doubts swirling around the starters for both teams, it was the old man pitching next to the sea who proved sturdy in the pressure-packed postseason game. Where Cleveland’s Fausto Carmona stumbled, forcing his manager Eric Wedge to lift him in the third inning, Schilling strode confidently on, getting out of a nasty third-inning jam after allowing the first two batters to reach, then watching his teammates erupt for six more runs that truly put the game away.

It was exactly the kind of performance that Sox fans used to expect of Schilling, a playoff prima dona of the highest degree, but a showman who’s always known how to turn his tricks at just the right time. Now, after a Game 2 stumble, it appears he may have hedged his bet right again, coming through at home when Boston needed it. With a similar crap shoot of Game 7 starters - Red Sox and Rising Son ace Daisuke Matsuzaka is determined but has been shaky while Cleveland’s Jake Westbrook has been feast or famine - momentum is firmly on Boston’s side. They have a bullpen that is fully rested and loaded for bear. They have a lineup which has seen its bottom half awaken, to the tune of 12 runs from the likes of Drew, Lugo, Dustin Pedroia and the recently promoted Jacoby Ellsbury. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz combined for only one hit Saturday night, which just seems to indicate they could explode Sunday.

And, just to add another ace in the hole, they have Josh Beckett mentally ready to pitch in relief on only two days rest if needed.

All of those things could become major factors in Game 7, and any factor could swing the entire series. The pressure is finally even, and Boston doesn’t seem to be feeling it. Yet.

If that trend holds on for one more day, there may be a whole handful more days in the season, and they’re the best ones to have.

– Cameron Smith, AP Photo

This is it. Again. And if things go well, we might even get to write that one more time this week.

The fans and the faith are there. The question is whether the Curt Schilling of old will make an appearance, too.

Still, it’s clear that Terry Francona thinks this thing is going in the right direction. By getting by Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia with the over-powering Josh Beckett, the Sox got back home. Now the manager is officially throwing his typical “pro-player” manager approach out the window. Coco Crisp is sitting the bench with his horrendous ALCS on base percentage. Jacoby Ellsbury is playing center and batting eighth to try and provide some juice.

Still, the man at the center of it all, again, is Curt Schilling. Traditionally, that’s exactly where he’s wanted to be. Schilling loves the attention. He loves the pressure. He loves the chance to perform on the biggest stage.

So why do so many Sox fans have serious indigestion? Clearly, because Curt hasn’t been himself through much of this year. Gems like his near no-hitter and ALDS Game 3 aside, there have been plenty of mediocre starts thrown in there. Somehow, he has to dial up past brilliance if the Sox have a chance to keep going.

And if they do keep going, suddenly things could change drastically. Daisuke Matsuzaka, whose first American postseason has clearly been the worst of his career so far, has already gone on record saying he wants a shot at revenge. With his past results and his stuff - dialed up with extra determination - we’d be hard-pressed to bet against him if things got to a Game 7. With him pitching on extra rest, of course.

But that’s a big “if”. And while a lot of it may be up to Big Papi and Manny Being Himself against Fausto Carmona, most of it will probably revolve around Senor Schilling.

That’s your cue Curt. Here goes nothing. And everything, of course.

– Cameron Smith, Globe photo

Somewhere in the aftermath of Boston’s 7-1 victory in Game 5, a lot of Red Sox fans seem to have lost sight of an important fact: The Sox are still down, three games to two. Like the Bee Jees, they’re still looking to Stay Alive.

Stayin’ Alive: That’s the goal Monsieur Schilling. We’ll talk moolah later if you get the job done.

The backs are still against the wall as Boston rolls back into what is sure to be a raucous, if nervous, Fenway Park tonight. And the man on the mound is the one who made himself a legend in 2004, once on the very same mound. There’ll be no bloody sock, but as much drama as there was before the last time Curt Schilling pitched in a Game 6 with the Sox facing elimination, back in the ever-enchanted year of ‘04.

The difference is that this is a different Curt Schilling than the incarnation that dominated the Yankees and then the Cardinals after experimental cadaver surgery on his ankle. That Schilling was still a power pitcher who relied on his stuff above all else. There was less stuff to draw on in his two playoff victories, but he had enough. This Schilling is a mental chess player, a gambler who’s betting he can confuse you with enough of a change up to keep you honest on his suddenly mediocre heat.

It’s a terrifying difference. He still has immense guts, as he flexed in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Angels, where he went on the road and thoroughly trounced the LA lineup. But those guts couldn’t get him through the fifth inning of Game 2 back at Fenway, and that ultimately cost the Sox dearly. With Schilling out early the snowball started rolling. Pushing Manny Delcarmen for a second inning is what tied the game, and then eventually meant that the Sox had no one to turn to except Eric Gagne. We know what happened after that.

But Schilling is pitching for more than just a big win tonight. He’s also pitching for a future in Boston. Should the Sox fall and face a long, cold offseason of Patriots talk, Schilling will almost certainly not be pursued. Boston has young arms ready to go and take his place, but his postseason acumen might be enough to save him a rotation slot and earn him his $10 million or so should he find a way to win tonight and, perhaps, again if things keep going. By the same token, a loss tonight would mean he essentially was the determining factor in two losses while pitching only one playoff win. That’s not worth $13 million in Boston.

So what’s it going to be, Curt? The man the Indians are sending to the hill, Fausto Carmona, is probably going to put up a better game than he did in his outing No. 2, where Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz got to him a bit. You ready to up the ante a bit? Always were in the past.

Here’s hoping for an evening of reminiscing. Red Sox fans could really use one. Scratch that. They really need one.

– Cameron Smith, Globe photo