July 29, 2007
...
The splitter was left up and out over the plate, exactly where
Daisuke Matsuzaka did not want to locate the pitch to Dioner Navarro.
So, as the pitch flew out of the park to right field, 6 1/3 innings
of shutout ball, including a ground out with the bases loaded in the
second, became moot. The scoreless tie was broken and, though Manny
Delcarmen would help put the game out of reach for the Red Sox, it
was Matsuzaka who took the loss in a 5-2 defeat at Tropicana Field.
But after a
seven-game road trip through Cleveland and Tampa Bay, the focus just as easily
could have been put on the two straight series wins, the 5-2 record, and the
emergence of the bat of Manny Ramirez, who took another pitch out of the park
yesterday, his fourth in his last eight games. Though they lost a game in the
standings to the Yankees, one day after gaining a game, it matters that the Red
Sox hit the road to such success. Because they'll be seeing it a lot over the
next few weeks (three games at Fenway before heading to the West Coast and
Baltimore).
Matsuzaka
wasn't terribly pleased with the splitter he threw to Navarro. He had been
getting good results on his off-speed pitches, but that single pitch negated
much of that. Dice-K wasn't the only pitcher throwing well yesterday. Scott
Kazmir, noted Red Sox nemesis, had entered with a 5-3 record and a 2.76 ERA in
12 starts against Boston. He had already faced Matsuzaka this season, a 4-1 win
for the Red Sox July 3. But this one wouldn't go that way.
Kazmir
struck out eight, scattering six hits over six innings, walking just one. Though
Kazmir allowed at least one runner in every inning other than the sixth, his
stuff was good enough to leave a few batters shaking their heads - like Dustin
Pedroia, who struck out swinging in the fifth on a 96 mile per hour fastball
from the lefty.
While
Delcarmen had provided impressive relief since he was brought up from Pawtucket
June 17 (1.47 ERA), he wouldn't do the same on this day. Delcarmen inherited one
runner from Matsuzaka (Josh Wilson singled after Navarro's homer) and, after a
fielder's choice, allowed a single to left by Brendan Harris. Then came the big
shot, a three-run home run by B.J. Upton, followed by a solo homer from Carlos
Pena, making it 5-0. But the Red Sox did attempt a comeback. After Kazmir had
baffled the Red Sox over his six innings and 97 pitches, he was removed in favor
of Scott Dohmann and Gary Glover. While relying on their relievers has not
always been a winning proposition this season for the Devil Rays, Dohmann and
Glover combined to allow just two solo homers in three innings, as Glover threw
50 pitches to get the win. With two outs in the eighth, Ramirez took Glover out
to left field. That was followed by Kevin Youkilis doing the same. But it wasn't
enough.
Matsuzaka
pitched effectively through six, getting out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in
the second by inducing a grounder to second from Wilson. He also had two on, no
out in the third, but he got Upton to line into a double play and struck out
Pena. Matsuzaka had six strikeouts, including Pena and Jonny Gomes twice each.
But after
the game was over and the loss attached to his name, Matsuzaka took a moment to
reflect on his pitching, comparing it to his experiences over the past two
seasons with the Seibu Lions. He's not where he wants to be, it was made clear,
even after giving up just two runs over 6 1/3 innings yesterday.
Mike Timlin
hadn't pitched since Monday's game against Cleveland, which is why it was so odd
he wasn't warming up in Saturday night's 12-inning game against the Devil Rays.
But Timlin's shoulder had started to ache over the past week (though it has
improved), so the team wanted to hold him out until it was better.
Manny
Ramirez's solo homer in the eighth came off Gary Glover, not Scott Kazmir.
Ramirez is hitting just .118 (4 for 34) off the left-handed starter, including 0
for 3 with a strikeout yesterday. Wily Mo Pena went 2 for 3 after having gone 4
for 5 in his last start, Thursday. He singled and doubled in his first two at
bats.
With six
strikeouts, Matsuzaka passed Dave Morehead (with whom he was tied at 136) to
become the Sox rookie with the fourth-most strikeouts in a season. Next on the
list are Dick Radatz (1962) and Dutch Leonard (1913), who each recorded 144.
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