| 23 March 2009
Good News, Bad News
The good news? Daisuke Matsuzaka looked sharp, again, in his WBC start aginst the U.S. yesterday. Matsuzaka threw 98 total pitches through 4 2/3 innings, fanning four and walking three, and earned his thrid win of the tourney. Dice-K is now 3-0 in the WBC with a 2.45 ERA. He's allowed just 14 hits and 5 walks... while tallying 13 strikeouts. Matsuzaka has been getting ahead early in the counts, but looked more like the 2008 Dice-K yesterday while facing MLB batters... so the question is: Does yesterday's game prove that MLB players have learned how to wait Dice-K out, or was he simply better agianst the weaker teams from earlier in the tournament?
I guess we'll just have to see how he looks in Aril.
The bad news? Team USA has been eliminated from the WBC. They made a great run, but injuries cleary hurt the team's chances. Matsuzaka looks poised to win another WBC MVP trophey and the Japanese could win back to back titles, but Dustin Pedroia knows that if he (and other injuried players like Youk, Ryan Braun and Chipper Jones to name a few) had remained on the roster... things would have been different:
"Daisuke is lucky I'm not there," quipped Pedroia. "I'd hit a line drive right off his back, and you guys can put that in your paper. I would hit him right in his back. He better hope the Red Sox don't trade him."
* * *
A Cut Above
The Red Sox made some cuts over the weekend, but we could see many of these players in the majors before the 2009 season is over.
Despite struggling through most of the spring, Micheal Bowden will start the 2009 season in Pawtucket, not Portland... along with Danile Bard who looked very sharp and has some people wondering if he could close for the Red Sox some day.
Junichi Tazawa-bunga will start the season in Double A Portland as planned, but I think it's safe to say he surpassed everyone's expectations with his play and his ability to adapt to a new country and team:
"He's one of the most impressive things this entire camp," pitching coach John Farrell said. "Not just from his physical abilities and the way he's gone out there, but the way he's handled himself in and around the entire spring training - the early bullpens, and really in early BP, when he was facing hitters in our lineup. He doesn't back away from any challenges. He doesn't become tentative. I think his natural confidence in his own ability has been very impressive."
Paul McAnulty has a decent spring as well, hitting .286 with a homer and 9 RBI, but Jeff Bailey, Chris Carter and Brad Wilkerson will remain with the Sox and fight for the "Kotsay spot" on the 25-man roster. For the record, Wilks is 5 for 39 (.128) with a team high 17 strikeouts... Wilkerson is a lefty, so he or Carter would be ideal compliment to the right-handed Rocco Baldelli off the bench... but Bailey has been one of the Red Sox' hottest hitters this spring and he's got the edge in the all important OBP category (.500, 7 BB).
If you want pintch-hit home runs, Carter might be the guy... But if you need a guy to spell JD Drew and go 3 for 5 in the 7th spot, Bailey is probably the better option.
* * *
Injury Updates
Mike Lowell's hip is not hindering him at the plate. He belted his second home run of the spring and he's 6 for 16 (.375) since his return to the field.
Brad Penny will make his first start of the spring today against the Tigers and Terry Francona is optomistic:
"Everything's a go," Francona said. "He's doing well. He's starting to turn that corner, really kick it in where he's on the mound and using his legs and [being] aggressive. Things are really going well there."
JD Drew was hit in the hand by a pitch on Friday and has refrained from baseball activities in an effort to let the contusion heal. The Sox expect his back in the lineup by Wednesday.
Kevin Youkilis has been wearing a protective boot since returning from the WBC with a sprained right ankle and tendonitis in the his achillies, but Youk is set to get at least two at-bats in today's game.
Dustin Pedroia returned from a strained ab muscle over the weekend and three hits in two games. He also showed good range in the field, so the injury is not slowing the 2008 AL MVP down any.
* * *
Weekend Games
After a rare rain delay, Micheal Bowden started Saturday's game against the Marlins. Here's a funny tid-bit from the Globe's game notes:
"They called me the Rain Man my first two years at pro ball because it seemed like every day that I was pitching we were getting rained on," Bowden said. "I'm kind of used to it."
Bowden went three innings this afternoon, allowing one run on three hits and one walk. He struck out two. He wasn't all that pleased with his performance, saying too many of his pitches were too high in the zone.
Junichi Tazawa threw two shutout innings and added two more strikeouts... and the Sox won 4-3 in 8 innings thanks to some smart base running by the Sox and some sloppy play from the Marlins.
Josh Beckett made easy work of the Phillies yesterday. Beckett allowed five hits and walk, but no runs in 5 innings of work... He now owns a 1.50 ERA in 18 spring innings and looks poised for a huge 2009.
Okajima, Delcarmen and Bard closed out the shoutout and Chris Carter hit his 4th ding dong of the spring.
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