Matsuzaka gets 5th win despite struggle

Tuesday 06th May, 04:00 PM JST

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6 Comments

some14some at 06:26 PM JST - 6th May

Matsuzaka: "Lucky Boy 2008" - instead of calling him MLB pitcher ! (lack of confidence, lack of stamina and lack of pitching control BUT plenty of Luck, sheer luck).
chouwa at 08:07 PM JST - 6th May

A bad outing by Daisuke. Seems like he was trying too hard to be cute and nibbling at the corners again. Although I didn't know this tidbit:

Matsuzaka had coldlike symptoms throughout the day and didn’t feel good. Francona said he only planned to use him for five innings no matter what.“He competes. He didn’t have his best stuff or feel 100 percent physically,” Francona added. “But tonight it was enough.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=280505106

He did seem a littled peaked, and didn't pound the strike zone all that much. Yet it looked like there was a bit of method to all that madness. He allowed three walks to Sheffield and two to Guillen, who are two of the biggest potential threats on this tigers team (Guillen leads the team in RBIs). The end result was that only two hits and one run were allowed.

Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman (2-3) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings, walking two and striking out four. “I think I threw the ball really well,” Bonderman said. “The two home runs (Lowell and Youkilis) they hit were good pitches.”

You bet they were good pitches; good for homeruns (two-run homers no less).
thepossum at 12:07 AM JST - 7th May

"Although the team won the game, there was nothing good in my outing,’’ a frustrated Matsuzaka said."

Like Duhhh !
freakashow at 10:10 AM JST - 7th May

Good to see humility being shown. Matsuzaka has been all about working hard and being humble even in winning. Even when he has a good outing like he did against the Blue Jays and earlier outing in April against the Tigers, he never beat his chest. Instead, he said things like "I can still get better" and "I did my minimum". Guys like Roidboy Bonds and his ilk Clemens can learn a thing or two.
thepossum at 04:29 PM JST - 7th May

Hmm, not sure I see the "lesson" here. It sounds to me like if you spend the offseason sittin' on yer duff drinkin' cold ones, then go out on the field and perform at subpar levels, then tell the fans and media that thats what you did... well ? I think someone better keep their bags packed, unlike Bonds, who has been at the same address since 1993 !
freakashow at 10:59 PM JST - 7th May

News from Yahoo, Rotowire, and Stats:

Apr 30 RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka has led the Red Sox to a perfect 8-0 record in his last eight outings, a stretch that dates back to Sept. 22. Matsuzaka boasts a perfect 4-0 record for this season, and he is sixth in the American League with a 2.52 ERA. In a season where the Sox needed a No. 2 starter to step up in their rotation, Matsuzaka made a statement with his mound work during the month of April.

May 6 Matsuzaka is 5-0 with a 2.43 ERA, with the Red Sox winning each of his seven starts.

Source:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7906/news;ylt=Aveu20EXHcwZOSqq36QcVqFCLcF

Wait, there's more:

"This explains a lot, really. And it also shows he has some kind of heart. I feel differently about today's start, after hearing Tek on the PG show. Get well, Dice-K. Thank you for the W--although it sure wasn't pretty!"

"I totally buy it--he was really sick after his last game too. He would not even talk to the media (and he had a great outing). He's been really sick--and I don't believe that Tek AND Lowell were making this up. I don't know why you would disbelieve it. It was obvious to me that something was wrong with him--I was thinking he might actually be injured. And he went through it so they didn't have to ask the pen to pitch NINE innings. He showed a lot of heart to give as much as he did. Most people don't lie about things like this. I have always heard Dice-K own his bad outings--he offers no excuses ever--and he didn't offer this one; Tek did. "

"Francona probably didn't realize the extent until Tek let him know after the game. I am sure Dice-K would try to hide it. It's actually typical that he worked through it. "

Source: http://www.forums.mlb.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ml-redsox&tid=239888