Daisuke Matsuzaka had very efficient start, needing only 96 pitches to tie a season high with seven strong innings. He only had one tough inning, when he got the bases loaded and walked home a run in the second. But on the whole, he was being much more efficient and doing an excellent job at finishing hitters when they were down in the count, instead of trying to nit-pick around the strike zone and wait for hitters to chase. Now, the Twins are a much less patient team than he faced last time, when he surrendered a staggering eight walks in five innings to the Tigers, but his stuff was better. He threw several excellent sliders, and he was able to use that pitch to go after right handed batters. His fastball looked much more under control, and he was able to challenge lefties, something he has had some trouble with. The Sox may be concerned with the very high number of walks, and they should be, but Matsuzaka really is pitching much better than he was last year, and much more like the guy the Sox thought they would be getting when they paid over $100 million total for him. The number of walks is a product of better and more patient major league hitters, but his ability to improve and work around runners on base is the reason why he is now 6-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Sox fans may still be reluctant to rely on Matsuzaka as a top of the rotation pitcher because of his struggles last year, but in eight starts this year (about a quarter of the season), he has only allowed more than three runs twice (four against the Yankees on April 13, and three against the Rangers on April 18). Sox fans should not try to be deceived by his numbers; Matsuzaka really has rounded into this type of a pitcher, at home and on the road, and should continue to provide the Sox with quality starts.
Tonight’s win was one of those textbook examples that managers envision at the beginning of the season. Seven very good innings from your starter, a good offensive showing, and lights-out, end of the game relief from the bullpen. The Sox offense had another good night, banging out 12 hits and four solo home runs, and the team average begins to creep back toward the .300 plateau it was at earlier this season. The most encouraging thing about this year’s lineup (a quality that was shared by the 2004 and 2007 lineups, though not to this extent), is that even on a night like tonight, when the leadoff, number three and clean up hitters are all hitless, the offense still generates a lot of hits, and a lot of power. David Ortiz still looks hurt and has not yet hit a consistent stride, but Kevin Youkilis is having a monster May, and is now tied for the league lead in home runs and ranks in the top four in RBIs. Julio Lugo was a late scratch from tonight’s game, and Jed Lowrie, likely to be demoted within the next 48 hours, chipped in with three hits and one of the four home runs. At this point in the season and after 39 games played, we are right at the quarter mark of the season, and there have been enough games played to analyze where the Sox stand. Check back after tomorrow’s game, as I am working on grading the Sox at each category, and they will appear on tomorrow’s recap.
Look for this recap and the Sox report card for the first quarter of the season following tomorrow’s game against the Twins. (To view all previous recaps, follow this link.)
Keep the Faith.