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Sox Prevail, 7-2, As Matsuzaka Walks Tight Rope
By Administrator | August 20, 2008
Daisuke Matsuzaka did his best Karl Wallenda impression for Red Sox Nation last night.
At Camden Yards, in Baltimore, Dice-K walked a tight rope starting with the first batter he faced. He was regularly wild, walking five batters and throwing 105 pitches — just sixty for strikes — in only five innings of work. But the game is about scoring runs not getting baserunners, and Matsuzaka managed to make the big pitches when he needed to in leading the Red Sox to a 7-2 win over the O’s.
The performance was nothing new for the young hurler — it was the eighth time this year he threw ninety-plus pitches and failed to pitch into the sixth inning.
In his post-game interview he said: “Whether I allow hits or walks, I always think that the important thing is not to allow the runners to score… that’s the way I thought last year and it’s still the same this year”. And it’s hard to argue with the results… with tonight’s win, despite all of the baserunners he has allowed this season, he remained unbeaten away from Fenway Park and improved to 15-2 overall, with a 2.77 ERA.
Javier Lopez (1 IP), Justin Masterson (2 IP) and Manny Delcarmen (1 IP) provided four innings of scoreless relief, although Delcarmen struggled once again (two base hits allowed).
Kevin Youkilis had three hits, including his 24th HR, and three rbi to lead the Sox offensive attack.
Boston took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Jacoby Ellsbury single (and stolen base), Dustin Pedroia walk, and David Ortiz rbi-single into center field. Youkilis hit a long fly ball to center field, allowing Pedroia to advance to third base… Jason Bay then hit a sac fly to drive in his seventeenth run in seventeen games with the Red Sox. The Sox extended the lead on Jason Varitek’s leadoff home run in the second inning.
The Orioles cut the lead to a run in the bottom of the third inning on a base hit, a walk, and back-to-back rbi singles of the bats of Ramon Hernandez and Luke Scott.
The Red Sox got those two runs back in the top of the fifth inning on Youkilis’ two-run home run, and then added to the lead on Varitek’s run-scoring double. Youk drove in the final run of the game with an rbi-single in the eighth inning.
While the offense produced the pitching staff, with the exception of Masterson, struggled. Matsuzaka failed to retire the side in order and allowed twelve of the twenty-six batters he faced to reach base, but (amazingly) he stranded nine base runners — including five runners in scoring position — to limit the damage.
One reason for his success at stranding runners? Opponents are 0-for-14 against him this season with the bases loaded.
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The win was Matsuzaka’s 30th career win, the most ever by a Japanese-born pitcher in his first two major league seasons… Hideo Nomo had 29 wins in 1995-96.
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Jacoby Ellsbury stole two bases to raise his AL-leading total to 40.
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The sellout crowd of 48,515 was the largest of the season and included the 50 millionth fan at Camden Yards… the 17-year-old stadium reached 50 million quicker than any ballpark in baseball history.
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The Red Sox announced that Josh Beckett’s next start has been pushed back a few days because of lingering numbness in his right hand… the problem started when he slept awkwardly on his right shoulder the night before his last start.
Topics: Sox Games, Sox Players |
