Dragnet tight-le town?: Twins at Sox

Well, so much for the buffer zone, eh?

Dice-K has been looking for something throughout the second half of the season. Now Sox fans are starting to get impatient that he hasn’t found it.

With Josh Beckett on the mound for the last time in the regular season, and with Big Papi officially reaching postseason form with a 4-4 night that included another homer, the Red Sox found a way to lose. In the process, Beckett may have lost a potential exclamation point in his Cy Young argument with Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia.

Regardless, the bigger - and more important - point is that the Red Sox lost a game while playing their starters, while that team down in the Bronx won a game at the Tropicana Terror Dome, pulling within two of the Sox with three to go. The AL East is not won yet.

Tonight, the Sox can cut that number to one with a win, just as they could last night. And just as yesterday provided Beckett with a valuable final tune-up (you judge whether or not it was wasted), tonight offers the same opportunity for Daisuke Matsuzaka, the pitcher that has looked like he could use it more than any other in recent weeks.

Matsuzaka has been impressive through the bulk of his last two outings, both of which ended in no-decisions on his behalf. But he might have to be even better tonight, facing off against Minnesota rookie rising star Kevin Slowey, a pitcher who’s stuff does anything but follow the lead of his name. Slowey has yet to lose a start this year, much like Jon Lester, though he has been almost exactly as hittable as Matsuzaka-san.

The question, of course, is whether the rookie will be more phased in his first Fenway appearance than the psuedo-rookie will be in his latest crunch time start heading toward the playoffs. In all fairness, Dice-K has not given too much to complain about as his starts have mattered more. Despite a mini-meltdown last week when he couldn’t finish off an inning, he had a terrific start against the Yankees in the game prior. A third stable start in a row, combined with what will likely be a full week of rest, and Dice-K may be in fully fine form for his playoff premiere.

But a shaky start and another loss will add more instability to a potential division title and the Sox postseason pitching plans. After the past three weeks, that’s the last thing New England’s fragile psyche needs heading into the playoffs.

– Cameron Smith