JAVIER LOPEZ

A POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
The Sox beat Greg Maddux in San Diego

June 22, 2007 ... With the bases loaded and the out column still reading "0" on the scoreboard, first glance might have told the denizens of Red Sox Nation who shuttled the length of the country, sprinkled in with the 44,405 that made up the third-largest crowd ever at Petco Park, that their evening would be spent watching Greg Maddux's 340th win, rather than Daisuke Matsuzaka's encore to his sparkling shutout of the Giants last Saturday. That, of course, would be wrong.

Though Matsuzaka did allow a run in that tenuous first-inning situation, he would allow no more in his six innings of edge-of-the-seat pitching (five walks) that saw nine Padres left on bases, as the Red Sox learned that Petco did not receive the pitcher's park label for no reason. Note that of the 14 hits between the teams, 13 were singles.

But Matsuzaka could not do it all. So, Javier Lopez, Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, and Jonathan Papelbon, a group whose combined major league service time registers as less than a blink to Maddux - took care of the final nine outs and preserved the 2-1 win for Matsuzaka. Papelbon registered his 17th save of the season.

Matsuzaka had made Petco a comfortable place of his own, pitching Japan to the World Baseball Classic title in March 2006. So, while Greg Maddux had major league history on his side as he attempted to add win No. 340 to his resume, Matsuzaka had history here, one of the few places in the US where he can make that claim.

Still, it didn't start well for the pitcher whose last start was his best with the Red Sox. Because while Maddux, one of the all-time greats in terms of control, dominated within the strike zone, Matsuzaka had far more trouble with his command.

Though he settled down after a near implosion Matsuzaka walked the first three batters of the game. Going to 3-and-2 counts on Marcus Giles, Jose Cruz, and Adrian Gonzalez, Matsuzaka followed his bout of wildness with a return to form that left the Padres scoring just one, on a one-out single by Michael Barrett.

It helped that the Red Sox sent some of those well-placed pitches back at Maddux, including three straight singles to center (and four total) in the fourth inning, which produced two runs, Dustin Pedroia and Manny Ramirez scoring on hits by Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek. But Julio Lugo, mired in a long slump, struck out to end the inning, standing at the plate looking lost and confused, perhaps armed with the knowledge that the at-bat left him below the Mendoza line (.199).

After throwing 32 pitches in the first inning, Matsuzaka came back with 1-2-3 frames in the second and fourth - he allowed a two-out walk and single in the third - though he had thrown 101 pitches through five. He left with a 2-1 lead after the sixth, having thrown 126 pitches, his second most of the season.

Despite nine strikeouts, Matsuzaka also allowed quite a few base runners, but pitched well enough that the Padres stranded nine while he was in the game, including on first and third when Matsuzaka struck out Marcus Giles swinging with a 94-mile-per-hour fastball to end the sixth.

Since straining ligaments in his left thumb on a diving defensive play against the Yankees June 3, Mike Lowell has been struggling offensively, hitting just .163 (8 for 49). He sat out last night's series opener against the Padres, as did J.D. Drew, who experienced tightness in his right quadriceps Wednesday in Atlanta.

After slumping for much of the early season, Drew had begun to hit with authority, raising his average from .230 to .243 in six days. Drew said the quadriceps had been bothering him for four or five days before he really felt it while legging out a double in the second inning Wednesday. Drew said the current injury is unrelated to the strained right hamstring that forced him out June 1 against the Yankees in the fifth inning.

Curt Schilling was expected to arrive here around game time after being reexamined by doctors and working out with rehabilitation coordinator Scott Waugh in Boston. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with tendinitis in his right shoulder. While Schilling is eligible to return July 4, the club could keep him out through the All-Star break a week later to give him extra rest

With Drew hurt, and only one true outfielder on the bench (Wily Mo Pena), the Red Sox brought up David Murphy from Pawtucket. He will almost certainly return Tuesday when a starter is recalled to take Schilling's turn in Seattle

Red Sox pitchers had worked 19 straight scoreless innings, matching their previous season high (June 15-17), before Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed a run in the first. Their last streak that lasted longer was a 22-inning stretch from July 17-20 last.