Projo Sox Blog

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. _ The wind was howling and so wasn't Daisuke Matsuzaka's right shoulder.
The Red Sox' starter lasted only one inning against the A's Tuesday night and is suffering a bout of arm fatigue. And, at the end of the long night, it was Travis Buck who gave Oakland a 6-5 victory with his walk-off infield single in the bottom of the 12th inning. The game lasted four hours and twenty-four minutes.
Matsuzaka allowed five runs on five hits with two walks and no strikeouts. He threw 43 pitches (22 strikes) in his lone inning of work.
It was his shortest outing since June 21 of 2008 against the Cardinals when he surrendered seven runs on six hits with three walks, facing nine batters in the first inning and only three in the second.
Matsuzaka was not with the Sox this spring training due to the World Baseball Classic. He was named the MVP of the tourney after going 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in three starts for Japan. He threw a total 14 2/3 innings as Japan defended its title.
In his first regular-season start against the Rays last Thursday at Fenway Park, Matsuzaka suffered the loss. He allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.
As sloppy as Dice-K was, A's starter Dana Eveland wasn't much better. The lefty allowed three runs on four hits in the top of the first.
The first inning took 41 minutes and the starters threw a total of 83 pitches. And every player in the respective batting orders got an at-bat.
The second inning was completely different.
The Sox were retired in order. The A's were retired in order.
As Matsuzaka went to the clubhouse, Eveland remained in the game and finished 4 2/3, allowing five runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts. He threw 108 pitches (63 strikes).
On the flip side of the horrid outing by Matsuzaka, Sox reliever Justin Masterson once again showed how versatile he can be in any situation.
The crafty right-hander entered the game in the top of the second inning and worked four scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits with six strikeouts. He threw 60 pitches (42 strikes) and is stretched out enough if needed to make the transition back to the rotation to replace Matsuzaka.
If Dice-K's situation calls for a trip to the DL, and Masterson becomes a starter, it's also possible the Sox could recall hard-throwing reliever Daniel Bard from Pawtucket. In two games (four innings) for the PawSox, Bard has not allowed a hit and has struck out six and routinely reaches 100 MPH on the radar gun.
Matsuzaka spent time on the DL last season with a mild rotator cuff strain.
Tuesday's game remained locked at 5-5 until Buck's infield hit.

 Tags  A's Daisuke Matsuzaka Red Sox

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