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Jon Lester sharp in minor league outing

AP photo / Mary Ann Chastain
Jon Lester pitches for the Greenville Drive on Thursday against the RiverDogs in Charleston, S.C.

If Jon Lester stays this sharp, it shouldn't take him long to return to Fenway Park.

Lester made his first start of the year Thursday night for the Class-A Greenville Drive as he attempts to return to Boston's rotation after an offseason of cancer treatments and uncertainty. He shut out the New York Yankees' affiliate, the Charleston RiverDogs, on one hit over four innings before coming out.

It was a promising start for Lester, diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma late last season. Lester, 23, had established himself as a rookie a year ago, going 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA. However, in August, doctors found his cancer, which had attacked his body's lymph system.

Lester underwent six chemotherapy treatments between the discovery and Dec. 21, then reported to Boston's training camp in early February — about two weeks ahead of the due date — to work his way back.

Tests show he is cancer-free. Still, the Red Sox didn't want to rush Lester back. He didn't pitch in a major league exhibition game, only facing minor league competition.
Last week, Lester was sent to Greenville, where he's expected to make at least four starts.

The big left-hander was on target against the RiverDogs, throwing 37 of his 54 pitches for strikes. Lester hit 96 mph at one point, according to Charleston's scoreboard, and kept the young Yankees off stride.

Austin Jackson, the second batter Lester faced, swung wildly at strike three. Lester closed the second inning by striking out Josue Calzado, then opened the next inning by doing the same to Jose Gil.

Charleston second baseman Wilmer Pino had the hardest shot against Lester, a liner into right-center that looked it would fall but Greenville center fielder Jon Eagan made a sliding catch.

Lester struck out five of the 15 batters he faced and gave up only one walk.

The only RiverDogs hit came on Chris Malec's slow roller to into the hole between first and second in the fourth inning. Lester, though, ended things a batter later by striking out Eduardo Nunez.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:04 PM | Permalink

What They Are Saying

MATSUZAKA: “For me it didn’t quite feel like the very first time. I was able to approach the game as usual.” --AP

RICK BOUDREAU (Red Sox fan): “It’s amazing. To see all the Japanese media, I think it’s great for baseball. I can see him being the staff ace this year.” --AP

TERRY FRANCONA (on Matsuzaka): “I thought from the get-go he was sharp with all his pitches, and he had to be. On a day when it was hard to score, the way the conditions were, we got one early and we added on and he made it stand up. He was terrific.” --AP

RYAN SHEALY (Royals first baseman on Matsuzaka): “A lot of guys have a good fastball or have good offspeed stuff, but he seems to have both. He’s a tough guy. There’s a lot of tough guys in the big leagues. But he’s good.” --AP

MATSUZAKA: “Up to now, given all the expectations that have surrounded me, I’ve felt happy about those expectation. At the same time, feeling like perhaps they were a little bit extreme. Speaking for myself and all the fans that have supported me here, it’s great that I was able to come out here and record a victory in my first start.” --AP

SATOSHI KAMISHIGE (pitched against Matsuzaka in high school): “It was a great start for him. He got to show the world what he can do, he got to see the power of major league hitters and most importantly, he got the win. He’s awesome. The thing that impresses me most is his stamina. I know he probably wanted to go all the way in his first game over there, but he knows that’s not how things are done in the majors.” --AP

SHEALY (on Matsuzaka): "I didn't know he threw that hard." --AP

MATSUZAKA: “I can’t say that my overall condition was that great today, but I think the role of a starting pitcher is to set up the game and give my teammates the opportunity to win. I feel like I was able to do that today, so I was satisfied.” --AP

BUDDY BELL (Royals manager on Matsuzaka's performance): “I will tell you this — I was pretty impressed. He just really had a feel for what he was doing. Everything he did was absolutely solid. Everything that he tried to do.” --AP

FRANCONA (on Matsuzaka): “Major league hitters, after you go through the order once or twice, get a bead on you, and he didn’t let them. He started throwing different pitches on different counts. He came back in the sixth and seventh and was good as he was early.” --AP

DAVID DeJESUS (who homered off Matsuzaka): “I think it was the gyroball,” he laughed when asked what he hit for the home run. “No, it was a fastball. I didn’t think it was going to go, but the ball kept carrying.” --AP

DeJESUS (on Matsuzaka): “He threw everything today. I saw lot of different stuff when I was up there. I don’t know what to call them.” --NEW YORK TIMES

DAVID ORTIZ (on Matsuzaka): ``Unbelievable. He’s so under control that he reminds me of Pedro (Martinez) when he’s out there doing his thing. It doesn’t matter what the situation is -- he always looks like he’s in control.’’ --SEAN McADAM

FRANCONA (on Matsuzaka): ``The expectations, from what I’ve heard so far, are unreachable. But he’s got this thing figured out better than anybody else. He loves to pitch, he enjoys the heck out of the game and he’s pretty damn good. That’s good enough for me.’’ --SEAN McADAM

JONATHAN PAPELBON (on his return and the Red Sox bullpen): ``It felt good, like riding a bike. I finally got a chance to get back in there.

``I think we have a lot of bullets in the bullpen and we did our job today and did our job (Wednesday night). If we can be consistent as a bullpen, we’ll be fine. We really will be. We’ve got a good mix of veterans, young guys and we’ve got great chemistry.’’ --SEAN McADAM

BELL (on two unearned runs in the eighth inning that turned a one-run game into a three-run deficit): “When you’re hanging on like that, and not doing anything offensively, you have no margin for error. When you face Schilling and Beckett and this kid in the same series ... man!” -- KANSAS CITY STAR

MIKE LOWELL (on Boston signing Matsuzaka): “I don’t think this organization bid money on a hope." -- NEW YORK TIMES

JOHN BUCK (Royals catcher on Matsuzaka's pitches): "There is quite a few. Every pitch I saw was an offspeed pitch first pitch. There was no set pattern. He threw seemingly anything and everything on the first pitch. I am sure he threw every pitch first pitch at one point or another." --MLB.com

MARK TEAHEN (Royals right fielder): "To me, he (Matsuzaka) didn't throw too many fastballs, he threw more offspeed. He maybe showed a fastball late. He seemed like he was trying to mix it up though. Early in the game, he seemed like he was trying to finish guys off with a fastball and then later in the game, he went to it more often." --MLB.com.

TONY PENA JR. (on Matsuzaka's windup): "After [Curt] Schilling and [Josh] Beckett, they have a regular motion, so you start to pick it up and ... you start seeing the ball better. He was mixing his pitches pretty good and for me, it was a little bit of timing, so he had his pitches going and we just had to be ready for next time." --MLB.com.

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 7:31 PM | Permalink

UPDATE: Matsuzaka, Sox beat Royals, 4-1

KANSAS CITY -- If today was any indication, the $103 million the Red Sox spent on Daisuke Matsuzaka was money well spent.

The Japanese right-hander became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to strike out 10 batters in his major-league debut, fanning 10 over seven innings while scattering six hits and allowing only one run as he led Boston to a 4-1 victory over the Royals.

''He made good pitches,'' catcher Jason Varitek told NESN's Tina Cervasio after the game. ''He's got a lot of different weapons he can attack you with.''

Getting the no-hitter-in-his-first-major-league-start angle out of the way, Matsuzaka allowed a single on a 1-and-1 slider to David DeJesus before Esteban German forced DeJesus at second on a slow roller to Dustin Pedroia. Matsuzaka then walked Mark Teahen before inducing a comebacker from Emil Brown which he turned into a 1-6-3 double play.

He was sitting on a 1-0 lead at the time, thanks to a Manny Ramirez RBI double. Kevin Youkilis, who had walked, scored all the way from first base.

From the second through the fourth, Matsuzaka retired 10 in a row. He allowed a soft single to Alex Gordon -- the first hit of the Royals' rookie third baseman's career -- that just reached the outfield grass leading off the fifth. Ryan Shealy struck out and Ross Gload flyed out before a line single to center by Joe Buck sent Gordon to third. But Matsuzaka, in a seven-pitch at-bat with Tony Pena Jr. got out of the jam when Pena hit a squibber that Matsuzaka fielded cleanly and fired to first for the final out.

By then, the lead was 2-0. Julio Lugo doubled to right to leadoff the fifth, then, with Youkilis at the plate, took off for third. John Buck's throw to third sailed over Gordon into left field and Lugo trotted home. It was Lugo's first steal of the year.

But in the sixth the Royals cut the advantage in half when DeJesus homered. Esteban German followed with a bloop single, but Matsuzaka got Mark Teahen on a strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play with German caught stealing. Emil Brown lined a double to the wall in left, but Matsuzaka overmatched Alex Gordon, catching him looking at an unhittable 95 mph fastball on the black.

With J.C. Romero warming up and his pitch count at 96, it appeared that DiceK's debut is done. But he came back for the seventh and struck out both Shealy and Gload before getting Buck on a fly to right.

The Sox added a pair of runs in the eighth as David Ortiz (leadoff double) scored on a wild pitch, and Coco Crisp's two-out single drove in J.D. Drew.

Romero pitched the eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon had a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:06 PM | Permalink

Through seven . . .

. . . Matsuzaka's line reads:

7-6-1-1-10

. . . after he retired John Buck on a fly to left.

It seems unlikely he'll come back out for the eighth, but it also seemed unlikely he'd come back out for the seventh.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:22 PM | Permalink

He's baacck . . .

In something of a surprise, Matsuzaka has come out for the seventh inning.

And he started it with a bang, striking out Ryan Shealy and Russ Gload to lift his strikeout total to 10.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:19 PM | Permalink

Last inning...

..or so it would seem. After giving up a solo homer to DeJesus and a single to Esteban German, Matsuzaka got Mark Teahen on a strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play with German caught stealing. Emil Brown lined a double to the wall in left, but Matsuzaka overmatched Alex Gordon, catching him looking at an unhittable 95 mph fastball on the black.

J.C. Romero is warming, and with 96 pitches thrown, it would appear that DiceK's debut is done.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:08 PM | Permalink

Shutout over....if you want it.

A solo homer into the right field bullpen from David DeJesus on an 0-and-1 pitch has ruined Dice-K's shutout bid and sliced the Sox lead in half.
A follow-up single by Esteban German has given the Royals the potential tying run on base

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:02 PM | Permalink

Fifth inning recap

This was Matsuzaka's most challenging inning of the day so far -- relatively speaking. He allowed a soft single to Alex Gordon -- the first hit of the Royals' rookie third baseman's career -- that just reached the outfield grass. He then struck out Ryan Shealy for his sixth strikeout before retiring Ross Gload on a first-pitch flyout to right.
A line single to center by Joe Buck sent Gordon to third, marking the first time the Royals had gotten a baserunner to third.
But Matsuzaka, in a seven-pitch at-bat with Tony Pena Jr. got out of the jam when Pena hit a squibber that Matsuzaka fielded cleanly and fired to first for the final out.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:35 PM | Permalink

The Go-Go Sox?

Julio Lugo has given the Sox a 2-0 lead all by himself. He doubled to right to leadoff the fifth, then, with Kevin Youkilis at the plate, took off for third. John Buck's throw to third sailed over Alex Gordon into left field and Lugo trotted home. It was Lugo's first steal of the year.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:33 PM | Permalink

Best inning yet

Matsuzaka struck out the side, getting Esteban German on a called third strike before fanning both Mark Teahen and Emil Brown swinging, with Brown going down on three pitches.
12 pitches for the inning, nine for strikes.
Four inning total: 52 pitches, 34 strikes.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:23 PM | Permalink

Correction

...Forgot about the one-out walk in the first. Actually, Matsuzaka has retired seven straight. Sorry 'bout that.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:09 PM | Permalink

Matsuzaka (on a) Roll

Dice-K has now retired nine in a row. He struck John Buck out on three pitches, got Tony Pena Jr. on a roller to the right of the mound, then got David DeJesus on a flyout to shallow center.
He threw 13 pitches, eight for strikes. Three inning total: 40

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:01 PM | Permalink

Forgot to mention...

...with all the Matsuzaka interest, that the Sox got a run off Zack Greinke in the first and lead 1-0. Manny Ramirez doubled home Kevin Youkilis (walk)...

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 2:58 PM | Permalink

Sailing through the second

Matsuzaka retired the Royals in order in the second, getting rookie Alex Gordon on a flyout to left, Ryan Shealy on a soft, sinking liner to right and, after falling behind Ross Gload 0-and-2, came back to throw three straight strikes, fanning him with a 94 mph fastball.
12 pitches that inning -- 9 strikes, 3 balls.

27 pitches through 2 innings.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 2:47 PM | Permalink

Billy Rohr or Hideo Nomo, he's not

Getting the no-hitter-in-his-first-major-league-start angle out of the way, Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed a 1-and-1 single on a slider to David DeJesus before Esteban German forced DeJesus at second on a slow roller to Dustin Pedroia. He then walked Mark Teahen before inducing a comebacker from Emil Brown which he turned into a 1-6-3 double-play. Matsuzaka threw 15 pitches, eight for strikes.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 2:20 PM | Permalink

This lifesize vinyl Manny can be yours for $119

This came into my e-mail today from Nick Paulenich, public relations manager at Fathead LLC:

"Fathead, the makers of 3-D, colorful, life-size vinyl images of popular sports and entertainment stars, has released its 2007 MLB product line. Fathead’s launch includes both MLB players and team logo wall graphics. You may be familiar with our product through our commercials on ESPN with Ben Roethlisberger and Chad Johnson.

"Manny Ramirez is one of six new MLB players produced by Fathead (bringing the company’s total to 12). Ramirez is 52” inches wide x 66” inches high and retails for $119. The Red Sox and Yankees are the only MLB teams that have two players available. Fathead also offers David Ortiz and a Boston Red Sox logo."

So there you have it.

Our hero had a good night last night, banging a single through the left side off of Odalis Perez in the first inning and scoring on J.D. Drew's double, then walking twice. Even though Ramirez is going to get a lot of walks, you have to be optimistic that Drew will provide him some protection, based on early returns.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:54 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Martone on Rice

Art Martone comments on Jim Rice on his personal blog.

Posted by Art Martone  at 12:36 PM | Permalink

Baby, It's Cold Outside....

Welcome to the big leagues, Daisuke. It was 28 degrees here a little while ago, though it should ``warm'' to near 40 by gametime.
The lineup for the Sox is standard:
Lugo ss
Youkilis 1b
Ortiz dh
Ramirez lf
Drew rf
Lowell 3b
Varitek c
Crisp cf
Pedroia cf

Naturally, anticipation is running high here. Strange sight on the field: In front of the KC dugout is a tractor and a few members of the grounds crew. In front of the Red Sox dugout, approximately 75 media members, mosty Japanese, all positioned to get a shot of Matsuzaka emerging from the dugout.

More throughout the day -- Sean McAdam

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 11:51 AM to McAdam | Permalink

Sean McAdam calls in from frigid Kansas City.

In today's edition of projo Sox Talk with Art Martone, Sean McAdam calls in from Kansas City. He says it's the weather is the coldest he can ever remember before a major league baseball game. Click here to listen to the audio file.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:38 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Thursday, April 5

A locally flavored spin around the baseball world . . .

THE NIGHT BEFORE: Josh Beckett did a pretty good job righting the good ship Red Sox last night in Kansas City (projo.com). A good thing, too, because -- as Jerry Remy pointed out on television -- today's debut start by Daisuke Matsuzaka is going to be pressure-packed enough. You really didn't want him out there trying to prevent a sweep.

THE DAY OF: Think there's enough Matsuzaka hype? (mlb.com)

LISTEN IN: Sean McAdam and I will be talking about Matsuzaka's start this afternoon, and Josh Beckett's performance last night, on ProJo SportsTalk with Art Martone, which will be uploaded by noon. (Was that plug shameless enough?)

SAY WHAT? Jim Rice has never been a public-relations master, but yesterday's public comments at the PawSox Welcome Home Luncheon -- an appearance scheduled as part of a full-court public-relations campaign by Pawtucket management to get him into the Hall of Fame -- seem particularly untimely. Among other things, Rice advocated that modern players should cheat (though, when the crowd moaned, he quickly added he didn't mean taking steroids) and that the only two things they have to remember are "[the] first and the 15th [of each month], because that's when they get paid." (projo.com)

SO THERE: Bill James has no lack of detractors, including a certain columnist in Boston, but USA Today lists him as the 43rd most influential person in the history of baseball. (USA Today)

BACK IN BUSINESS: Good news for out-of-market fans without a dish . . . albeit news that was a long time coming. (mlb.com)

CLEAR ENOUGH? Not a lot of wiggle room in Brian Cashman's response to whether or not Johnny Damon's injury would prompt the Yankees to contact Bernie Williams. (New York Daily News)

CAN'T TELL THE PLAYERS WITHOUT A SCORECARD . . . OR WITH ONE: The Dodgers will field an entire team of No. 42s on the anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major-league debut. (Los Angeles Daily News)

CHANNELING JIMY: One of the reasons the Red Sox hired Grady Little in 2002 is that he was such a change from the taciturn Jimy Williams. But, at the bottom of that same story, Grady gives as curt a "manager's decision'' as Williams ever did. Oh, that cutthroat L.A. media . . . (Los Angeles Daily News)

NO MATTER HOW MANY EARRINGS YOU PUT ON A PIG . . . Rick Morrissey isn't one of those people who waxes poetic about an afternoon at Wrigley Field. (Chicago Tribune)

BUT YOU CAN PUT EARRINGS ON A BEAUTY: As for me, I think that's just not true locally. (projo.com)

OLD FRIENDS: Shea Hillenbrand has a groin injury. He also has a lot of pride in his baserunning, as you'll find if you continue reading down into the story (mlb.com) . . . Dave Roberts, who has reason to take pride in his baserunning, has a bum shoulder, but an MRI showed no structural damage (Costa Contra Times) . . . There are certain members of Red Sox Nation -- and you know who you are -- to whom Jack Cust is a God. He's never made it to Boston, but it looks like he could be going to Japan (Fox Sports).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:18 AM | Permalink