Undefeated ... With Some Help

So, Dice-K is 4-0. Whoopee! No, in all seriousness, a win is a win is a win. But last night's Red Sox rout of the Rangers underscored how not all 4-0 starts to a pitcher's season are created equally.


As much as Matsuzaka-san's line is fairly strong: 5 2/3 inn., 3 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K; it also belied how much he struggled with pitches early in the count. The National Treasure missed a number of first pitch strikes and routinely had to claw his way back into counts, a trick he pulled off with the help of a shocking amount of foul ball contact from the Rangers. Meanwhile, his control slipped in the middle of at-bats, and Texas was actually ahead of his adjustments, swinging away at first pitch strikes the second time through the order.

Luckily, last night the Dice Man had a big cushion to work with, and there's plenty of thanks to go around for that.


It can start with Big Papi, whose Grand Slam is just his second homer of the year, though fans can again hope that it snaps his current doldrums. Matsuzaka can also send a bouquet to Jed Lowrie, the rookie shortstop whose first MLB stint continues to go flawlessly. Hitting ninth again, Lowrie was 2-for-3, knocked in a run and again played flawless defense. He looks completely comfortable and at home at short, just as he did nearby on the diamond a day earlier. If anyone thinks he's overwhelmed, they're kidding themselves. The only question is whether he can keep up the quick start, at which point Julio Lugo's status might seriously be thrown into question. And if Lugo doubts whether the Sox would really consider deposing him midseason, he might want to sit down and have a chat with Coco Crisp in the dugout. Odds are both will have plenty of time for that coming up.

So, without further ado we bring you what you've all been waiting for for a week: Grades baby, grades.

STARTING PITCHING: √
As much as there's a part of us that feels like we should drop a √- on Dice-K, we just can't do it. The line won't let us. And considering the fact that he twice wriggled out of jams with strike outs, he continues to prove that sometimes his control and - just as important - top-end velocity tend to return when he needs it most. At least that's what WMYM is telling itself.

MIDDLE RELIEF: √+
Wait, the loogy got 1 2/3 innings? And they weren't all lefthanded hitters? How the hell did that happen? And do we care? The answer is no. We don't. We're just ecstatic that A) Okajima and Papelbon got the night off, and B) Even Delcarmen could hit the snooze button in the bullpen.

SET-UP RELIEF: √-
Amazingly, this could have been a -- if David Aardsma hadn't picked up the pieces just as when it looked like it was all hitting the fan. The first winner of the Red Sox unofficial "Survivor: Bullpen" contest started out on cruise control, lacing 95 and 96 mph strikes across the edges of the plate, painting as if he were Tom Sawyer. Three batters later the basepaths were chucked and Texas suddenly looked ready to rally.

CLOSER: √+
Naturally, this wasn't a save situation, but Mike Timlin proved that he's closer to his pre-injury status than we'd seen before. Texas' batters seemed off balance against Timlin after looking at a lefty with a funky release point and then a power-throwing righty. Maybe that's saying something. Either way, as WMYM alluded to in the middle relief category, Timlin's clean sheet allowed for a night sans Paps, Okie and Little Manny. In an 11-3 game, that's really all that matters.

LINEUP: √+
Someone else had to get a check plus. After all, this was an 11-3 rout. Fittingly, we've decided that when you score 11 runs, you earn a check plus. From Ortiz's Grand Slam to the rattling slap hitting of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkilis, Jason Varitek and co. (that includes Sean Casey and Lowrie), the bats were out in full force. Naturally, that's a good sign for Big Papi, Casey and, well, everyone else, not least of all the forthcoming starting pitchers for the rest of a four-day set that the Sox could really use to get a stranglehold on.

Leave A Comment

---

---

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)

Please only click "Post" once. It may take a few moments to process.