Sox Sweep Seattle to End Road Trip

That was a close one, and also a timely win. Both the Yankees and the Rays won yesterday, and when your competition wins, you want to win and keep step with them.

Clay Buchholz was much improved over his past two outings, and that is a good sign. Clay went 5 1/3 innings and gave up 3 runs, but he held the line early on, and did not fall behind quickly like he has in his last two outings. In fact, entering the 6th inning, he had only surrendered a solo home run to that point. In the 6th, he started to unravel giving up a two run home run and putting two men on base with one out before turning the game over to Justin Masterson. Masterson is working out of the bullpen for the Sox and this was a big test. How does he handle coming in to the inning with 2 men on and one out? Simple. He strikes out the next two batters to end the inning.

Masterson did not stop there. He went on to record a 1-2-3 7th inning, followed by a 1-2-3 8th inning! So far, whoever thought he'd work well out of the bullpen looks like a genius. Also, since Masterson had been training all year as a starter, he can be used (at least for a while) in long relief situations very effectively. Masterson did a nice job of getting to the ninth inning for Jonathan Papelbon, but the problem was that the game was only tied 3-3.

In the 3rd inning, Ichiro Suzuki kept the game from getting out of reach when he leaped high on the right field wall to rob JD Drew of a sure 3 run home run. It was an amazing catch, and the Sox may have been able to use that to build a comfortable lead. But, as strange things always happen in baseball, the next batter, Kevin Youkilis, laced a line drive to right field. As Ichiro chased it down and bent to scoop it up, the ball snuck under his glove and rolled to the wall for an error, allowing two runs to score. That's baseball. Once play you are a hero and a sure web gem, and the next play you make an error that could cost the game.

More great pitching for Boston came after the 8th inning as Hideki Okajima and Manny Delcarmen combined to pitch two scoreless innings. In an interesting move, with the game still tied, Terry Fancona went to Papelbon to pitch the bottom of the 11th inning. Papelbon finally got a strikeout (he's had fewer of those lately) and induced a double play to end the 11th.

The 12th inning, the Red Sox had had enough. Time to end this thing. They worked the bases loaded with one out, and Mike Lowell became the designated hero with a line drive single to left. Jacoby Ellsbury scored from third, and JD Drew showed some speed sliding in safe at home from second base. Sean Casey singled in an insurance run to bring the score to 6-3. So, now we're thinking Papelbon will be back out and end this, right? Wrong. Francona, perhaps not feeling Papelbon has enough bullets left in the gun, and also thinking a 3 run lead should be comfortable enough, sends in none other than Craig Hansen to close the game out. Hansen did it, but he did not do it easily. With two outs and a runner on first, Hansen surrendered a single and a walk to load the bases. White knuckle time, folks. So, Jose Vidro steps to the plate and watches the first three fastballs go by, none of them is a strike. Bases loaded, three balls, no strikes, two outs. Next pitch, called strike. Next pitch, Vidro tops the pitch for an easy bouncing ball to Dustin Pedroia who flips the ball to first to end the game. Phew! Close one there Hansen!

Tomorrow, the dreaded Yankees come to town. Stay tuned...

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

Red Sox Take Two From Seattle Behind Dice-K

So far, so good. The Red Sox, having lost three straight, could use three straight wins from Seattle to get back on track. With a win this afternoon, they could accomplish just that.

Last night, Daisuke Matsuzaka was brilliant. The key to that statement was the fact that he only walked three batters the whole game, and was more efficient with his pitch count. It has become unusual to see Dice-K standing on the mound in the 8th inning, but there he was, looking like he was heading for a complete game.

Unfortunately, his game began unraveling in the 8th inning. With JD Drew leading the way to a 4-0 lead, the Mariners were finally able to chip away as Dice-K began tiring. With one out, and a runner on base, Ichiro Suzuki laced a double to plate the first run, and Jose Lopez followed that with a single up the middle to score Ichiro. With the score now 2-0, Terry Francona felt it was time to give Dice-K some help and ensure he holds on to his 11th win of the season. So, Terry called for Hideki Okajima.

As we all know, Okajima has not fared well entering the game with runners on base, but in this case, at least the runner was at first base, and the left handed hitting Raul Ibanez was due up. Sox fans were thinking "ground ball, double play, inning over". Sox fans were also praying "please, not a home run". As it turns out, neither prayer was heard by the baseball gods, but Ibanez did hit a ground ball to first, and Kevin Youkilis managed to throw to second base to get the lead runner for the second out. Oki followed that up by getting Jose Vidro to line out to center to end the inning and complete the transition to Jonathan Papelbon.

The Mariners opted to not wait around for Papelbon to strike them out and came out with a strategy to swing early in the count. Good idea, but the result was the same, three straight outs, and Papelbon's 30th save of the. With the save, Papelbon becomes the first closer in Red Sox history to record 3 consecutive 30+ save seasons. Hopefully, that is only the start of more amazing years to come.

Meanwhile, this afternoon all focus will turn to Clay Buchholz. Will the young pitching phenom return to his former brilliance, or will he continue to labor through difficult innings, not fooling batters with an ineffective fastball? Another short and ineffective outing could result in another trip to Pawtucket. Bartolo Colon is nearing a return, but that may be weeks away. On the other hand, if Clay has a solid outing, we'll all breath a sigh of relief and welcome him back to Boston next week.

Last night's win, combined with Tampa Bay's loss, inches the Sox back to within 1/2 of a game of first place. Good timing too, as the Yankees, in their typical post-All Star surge, are starting to create pressure behind the Sox. The Yankees now have notched 5 wins in a row, and tonight will go for a sweep of the Twins before coming to town to face the Red Sox on Friday. That series will be huge. A sweep by the Yankees could vault then over the Sox into second place and return them to serious contention. A sweep by the Red Sox could stomp the Yankees back towards the basement where we'd rather see them. Stay tuned!

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

Varitek and Lester Put Sox Back in the Win Column

It was not that long ago that when the Sox went on a big swing through the west coast, everyone crossed their fingers and prayed to win half the games. It is a big trip, on the road, 3 hour time zone difference, and some tough competition. Since 2004, Sox fans have gotten a little too used to winning more often than not, and have put their fear of the West Coast Trip behind them. Maybe that fear was put away a little too soon, as the Angels managed to swipe 3 straight games from the Sox and knocked them back to second place.

Luckily, this West Coast Trip is only going through two visiting cities, and the second one is home to the AL team with the worst record, the Seattle Mariners. So, a 3 game sweep of the Mariners would be just what the doctor ordered to allow the Sox to return to friendly Fenway Park with an even 3-3 road trip record. This is no guarantee, but is well within reach.

Last night, Jon Lester continued a superb season, again pitching late into the game (7 1/3 innings) and holding the Mariners scoreless. Lester was dominating the entire night, and at one point looked like he might be headed for a complete game shutout. But, in the 8th inning he appeared to be tiring, and got himself into a jam. Bases loaded, 1 out, and a 4-0 lead. One meatball pitch could tie the game. Terry Francona opted to send Jonathan Papelbon in to get out of the jam. It only took Paps 2 pitches to do so as he induced Raul Ibanez to hit into a game saving, and inning ending double play. Thankfully, Francona opted to send in Papelbon and not Hideki Okajima, who was a sure thing last season, but this year has been struggling when coming into an inning with runners on base.

While Manny Ramirez did what we could to get rallies going, his three singles were all harmless as he was sandwiched between JD Drew and Mike Lowell who went a combined 0-9 last night. But fear not, when help was needed, out of the dugout with cape flapping in the wind came Captain Varitek! Jason Varitek got a hold of a sweet pitch with one runner on in the 5th inning for a 2 run home run. Tek could have had a huge night, but that was all the damage he could muster (and thanks to Lester, all the damage they needed). Varitek came up in the 6th inning with bases loaded and 2 outs, but struck out swinging on a foul tip. Then, in the 9th inning he again found himself in a bases loaded, 2 out situation. This time he connected, only to fly harmlessly out.

The Sox also loaded the bases in the 8 inning (Varitek drew a walk to load them). The Sox really had the Mariners against the ropes in the late innings, and this time it was Jed Lowrie at the plate. Lowrie came through with a nice single to plate the Sox' final 2 runs en route to a 4-0 victory.

The next two games will feature Dice-K Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz. Dice-K will be looking for his 11th win, and should have a good shot at it. Clay, on the other hand, has yet to find himself a good game since returning to the Sox from Pawtucket. Personally, I'm happy he gets the third game of the Mariners series, rather than opening the Yankees series. Let's hope Clay pulls it together and is able to give Boston a quality start. The Sox do have Bartolo Colon back on the mend. Colon has been out since hurting his back while swinging at a pitch during interleague play. He should be ready to rejoin the club in August, so the clock is ticking for Clay.

When the Yankees come to town on Friday, the Sox will be unveiling the new and recently recovered David Ortiz. Big Papi is still swinging well, going 2-3 with the Portland Seadogs yesterday. He claims he is pain free and nearly 100% ready. When he launches a home run in his first at bat Friday night against Joba Chamberlain, the Fenway crowd will go crazy. Thankfully, I will be in that very crowd!

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

JD Drew Provides the Offense, Red Sox Beat Seattle

JD Drew has taken his game to a new level in June. Yesterday, he did it with defense, robbing Richie Sexon of a sure double with a leaping catch in front of the bullpen fence in the second inning. Then, he did it with patience. In the third inning, facing the tough lefty pitcher, Erik Bedard, with the bases loaded and two outs, JD worked the tough Bedard long enough to finally get hit on the hand with a pitch, driving in a run. Later in the game, JD did it with power. The Red Sox, as usual, had little success against Bedard, but what they did do was wear him down. They showed excellent patience, slowly driving his pitch count up, until finally, Bedard was removed from the game after the 5th inning. Right handed pitcher, Sean Green, came into the game, making the left handed hitting JD Drew, leading off the 6th inning, very happy. JD welcomed Green with a perfect swing, sending the ball over the center field wall, making the score 2-1. That score would last until the end.

JD did not do it all himself. Some credit has to go the the great pitching, once again, by Justin Masterson. Going up against Erik Bedard, Masterson had to keep the score low, and that is just what he did. The Mariners clawed their way to a run in the second inning, but would get nothing else, as Masterson's slider was just wicked, and his sinker had good movement, making easy work of an aggressive Mariners lineup. Masterson is now 3-0, and has the bullpen to thank for holding the score down.

The Sox bullpen has been getting better and better as the season progresses. Yesterday, Craig Hansen took the 7th inning (exactly what the Sox were looking for from Hansen), Okajima handled the 8th, and Papelbon, as usual, shut things down in the ninth. Papelbon got help from some defense, namely Coco Crisp, who seems to have put his fighting days behind him. To lead off the 9th, Adrian Beltre ripped a ball to deep center field, but Crisp used speed and talent to track the ball down and haul it in. The last out of the game, fittingly, was a fly ball to JD Drew.

The Sox get a day of rest today, and don't even need to travel. Baltimore is up next on Tuesday night. With the Celtics (now 2-0 in the Championship Series against the Lakers) playing in L.A., there will be no adjusting the game time, so get to Fenway at 7:05, see the first pitch, and cheer Red Sox ace, Josh Beckett, on to another Fenway Park victory!

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

Mariners Domintate Listless Red Sox

Let's take a brief look at yesterday's analysis here of the opening game of the Mariners - Red Sox series. Last night's game held low confidence. There were concerns about the Red Sox overall emotional recovery from the night before, as well as facing a team on a losing streak, with their number one starter on the mound to break the streak. There was one last key point, that the depleted lineup (particularly Manny's hamstring and Ellsbury's wrist) would hurt the offense quite a bit.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, those assessments came true. Felix Hernandez pitched an effective game last night, throwing 6 shutout innings, and the Red Sox lineup (apart from JD Drew and Sean Casey) looked as lifeless as Count Dracula in the middle of a sunny day. JD Drew continues to shred opposing pitchers, going 2 for 3 last night, and Casey followed suit, going 3 for 4 with a double. But, with both Big Papi and Manny Ramirez out of the lineup, there was no clout to take advantage of the base runners. We had the battle-weary Coco Crisp in the lineup, who can add speed in Ellsbury's place, but Crisp never even reached base.

Brandon Moss rejoined the team, and as usual, played with a smile. He got a hit, and provided solid left field defense, and looked like he has not missed a step after his appendix surgery just last month. But Brandon was not enough of a spark to recharge the Red Sox batteries last night.

Bartolo Colon was off of his game as well. We knew he would not win every game all season, and if you are going to have an off day on the mound, you might as well do it on a night the offense has no interest in scoring runs. Losing 1-0 is much more frustrating than losing 8-0, like they did last night. Colon looked mortal last night. His fastball was, on average, a little slower than it had been, and he was getting it up in the zone too often. His other pitches were not as effective as usual, but he was able to battle reasonably well and left the game after 5 innings behind 6-0. Now, before his next start, can the coaches work with Colon on throws to second base? He made two throwing errors last night, one would have started a double play, and the other was a pick off attempt. Both throws ended up in center field!

David Aardsma gave up the other two runs, but the surprise pitcher was Javier Lopez. Terry Francona saw this game was getting out of reach, and did not want to deplete the entire bullpen. He needed someone to hold their ground, and eat up a few innings. Enter Lopez. Javier pitched the final three innings of the game, only allowing two base runners from one hit and one walk. Very impressive, and that saved the bulk of the bullpen to be ready today.

The brawl review committee has quickly sent down their punishments. Not surprisingly, the cheap shot Rays got hit the hardest, with 5 players earning suspensions. The Red Sox had three suspensions handed down. Coco Crisp got 7 games, not a big surprise, but the other two Sox players were more of a surprise. Sean Casey will be suspended for three games, and Jon Lester for a ridiculous five games! Further review of the melee showed that Casey threw a few punches and was an active participant in the battle. Okay, so we can see that punishment. But Jon Lester???? Lester did not join in the fray, which is wise for your starting pitcher, and he was never ejected from the game. Lester hit two batters, Carl Crawford with a curve ball (obviously not intentional), and Iwamura got grazed with an inside pitch. The umpire never saw intent, and no warnings were issued to Lester. So where the heck does MLB come off deciding that Lester needed to be suspended.

All players suspended can appeal their suspension. If Lester appeals, I think he'd have a good chance of reducing it. Now, Lester is a starter, and starters only pitch once every 5 days. They may have preferred to suspend Lester for one game, but for a starter, that does nothing. They simply take the suspension on a day they are not pitching anyway. So, the 5 day suspension is basically a one day suspension for a starter - they are forced to miss their next regular start, but would probably just pitch the next day on an extra day of rest. But, MLB should not have been suspending a pitcher who was not involved in the brawl, and received no warning or ejection from the umpiring crew!

Today, hopefully Manny and Ellsbury can rejoin the team and help generate runs. Tim Wakefield takes the mound, and has been pitching well of late. you never can predict what you'll get out of Wakefield, but you know you'll always get 100% effort, and it is tough to ask for more than that. I still think the Sox need to find a way to get back on the emotional track they had laid out prior to the foolish brawl. Sit Coco, let him spend a day with his therapist and get it all behind him, and let Ellsbury burn up the bases so Manny can drive him in.

Sweepless in Seattle

My loyal readers once again get in-depth analysis to answer your difficult questions about baseball. The question for today is, "why are the Red Sox not hitting?". After careful analysis poring over hours of game film, I have found the answer you are looking for. I'm not sure how it happened, but there is an old, underhanded, baseball trick (employed in other sports too) whereby somebody discretely swaps a team's equipment bags during travel to away games. The original equipment is replaced with near replicas of the original, but with subtle changes designed to hinder the performance of the team.

In this case, using cutting edge stop action photography, I have created a close up image of the "altered" baseball bats that were substituted for the Red Sox original equipment. As you can see from the photo below, these replacement bats are near identical to the original equipment, but with very subtle differences. If you look closely, you can see a cane-like handle coming out of one the end of the bat, and a rubber stop at the other end. That's right, these bats are designed specifically for drawing walks, but are good for little else. Only the best hitters would stand a chance of getting a hit with one of these, and even then, a single would be the most you could hope for.

Well, sure enough, just look at last night's game. The Red Sox managed only two hits the entire game, both of them mere singles hit by World Series MVP players, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell. In contrast to the lack of hitting, the Red Sox were able to draw 6 walks! So, there you have it. Once the Red Sox are back at home, and do not have equipment bags to worry about, the offense will return. You can rest easy about the upcoming away games in Baltimore, I already sent an email to the Red Sox management team alerting them to this situation. I'm sure I'll get a thank you shortly, and they will carefully inspect the equipment upon arrival in Baltimore.

The equipment situation is unfortunate, because Tim Wakefield pitched a tremendous game. After a couple of bad outings, reactionary fans, who judge baseball solely on what happened yesterday, were crying for Wake to be sent off to the bullpen. After last night, they may want to rethink that stance as Wakefield was masterful going 8 innings allowing 5 hits, 1 solo home run, no walks, and 8 strike outs. It is tough to have to take a 1-0 loss on such a well-pitched night!

Tomorrow night, Josh Beckett opens the first game of a three game set against the Orioles. If Sean Casey gets another start in the series, take notice if either he or Kevin Millar reaches first base. The two most talkative players will be chewing the fat like no one's business. Hopefully, Beckett has a good game, and the Sox enjoy their reunion with their true bats!

Last note. Please be sure to tune in tomorrow, for the first ever product giveaway from the Rational Sox Fan! A&E Home Video will be releasing an exciting Red Sox DVD Set called "The Essential Games of Fenway Park". This set includes 6 DVD's containing 6 historic Fenway baseball games, shown in their entirety, along with many special features. The games were chosen by a vote from Red Sox Nation, and they are good ones. This DVD set is set to be released on June 3, so tune in tomorrow for a sneak peak, and a chance to win a copy - just in time for Father's Day!

(The Baseball Bat Cane displayed is an actual cane for purchase at Cane & Unable)
(Tim Wakefield Photo Courtesy of ESPN)

Red Sox Road Woes Continue

Yesterday's 4-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners was somewhat inevitable. If you follow baseball long enough, you come to understand that everything likes to settle into its place over time. Streaks do not last, neither the positive ones nor the negative ones, and patterns will develop over time. That is why so many people get obsessed with baseball statistics and numbers, because they do ultimately have a story to tell. Last night was no exception.

The Seattle Mariners were on a 7 game losing streak, holders of the worst record in baseball, and facing the World Champion Red Sox. What happens? They win, and break the losing streak. The Red Sox had Daisuke Matsuzaka starting the game. Dice-K was undefeated at 8-0 in 10 starts prior to the game. Pattern? No decision - 4 straight wins - no decision - 4 straight wins. So what happens? No decision. Manny Ramirez had been on a streak of 45 at-bats without a home run, and broke the streak with a 3 run bomb to tie the game in the 6th inning. Manny's home run was the 499th of his career. He hit home run #400 in May of 2005 at Safeco Field, and has a chance to hit #500 there tonight. Stats all settling in to their resting places.

But, not all streaks were due to expire last night. Mike Timlin entered the game with a record of 0-5 at Safeco Field, and left the game with a record of 0-6. The Sox and Mariners battled to a stalemate 3-3 tie until the bottom of the ninth inning. Timlin did not really pitch too badly, but the Mariners clawed their way to a run anyway. Wladimir Balentien started the inning with a ground ball that Alex Cora, at shortstop, was able to stop but had no play on. Miguel Cairo bunted him to second for the first out, and Jeremy Reed grounded to Dustin Pedroia for the second out, which moved Balentien to third base. With two outs, Ichiro Suzuki stepped up to the plate. Ichiro was already 2-4 on the night, and has been giving the Red Sox fits so far in this series. The Red Sox wisely opted to intentionally walk Ichiro, only needing one out to send the game into extra innings. But, Jose Lopez was not willing to cooperate. Timlin left a fastball a little too high on the inside part of the plate, and Lopez ripped it down the third base line for the game winning hit.

Other than Manny's home run, the Red Sox offense was silent. Seattle starter, Miguel Batista (who eerily resembles Bernie Williams), was expected to be clobbered by the relentless Red Sox lineup. But, Batista pitched his best game of the season lasting 7 full innings surrendering only 5 hits, the only runs coming on Manny's home run. Sean Casey, filling in for the injured Kevin Youkilis, was the exception as he went 3-4 last night. But, while Casey did his best to get on base, he had absolutely no help from his pals. There was no one for Casey to drive in, as the three batters before him went a combined 0-12, and there was no one to drive him in as the two batters behind him went 0-8.

The concern last night is for Matsuzaka's shoulder. Dice-K reported that he felt "wrong" all night, even prior to the game. Terry Francona removed him after 4 innings, and it is being reported that he has a "tired shoulder". Well, with all the walks he's given up, of course he has a tired shoulder! There is no word yet on what this will mean. Dice-K is to be examined today and determine a course of action. As we've spoken about here, it is a good thing to have extra pitching. If Dice-K needs time off, you can expect Clay Buchholz will be called back up to take his next start. That is a good situation for the Red Sox. One starter goes down, another quality starter can step up.

Speaking of starters, tonight Tim Wakefield will try to turn his own fortunes around. Wake has been shaky in two of his last three starts. Wonder about stats and streaks? Wakefield has never won a game at Safeco Field, going 0-2 in 6 outings there. A streak is like fruit. When it is ripe, it will fall. Is Wakefield's winless streak at Safeco ripe yet? Let's hope so!

Predictions for tonight - all on gut feel...

Wakefield goes 6 2/3 innings, gives up 3 runs, gets the win.
Manny hits HR #500 prior to Wakefield's departure - ensuring him the victory.
Jacoby Ellsbury starts the game - goes head to head with Ichiro to see who can steal the most bases.

(Photos Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

Colon Ends Red Sox Losing Streak

Bartolo Colon pitched his second start of the season for the Red Sox last night and collected his second win, beating the Seattle Mariners 5-3. Colon continues to look sharp, throwing mostly fastballs in the low 90's, but hitting 96 on the radar a number of times, and showing good movement on his 2-seam fastball. By the way, has anyone mentioned to the Mariners that Colon is still fresh off of a rehab assignment to recover from surgery, as well as a couple of minor injuries? He is on a limited, but increasing, pitch count as he works himself back into shape. So, what do the Mariners do? They swing early and often, allowing Colon to make it through 7 innings while only throwing 84 pitches.

Colon faced 28 batters last night, and 14 of those plate appearances lasted no more than 2 pitches! A wiser, more patient lineup would have worked Colon's pitch count up much earlier and challenged his conditioning. That may be part of why the Mariners have lost 7 in a row, and currently possess the worst record in all of baseball.

But, a win is a win, and stopping a losing streak is essential, especially when that losing streak allowed the Tampa Bay Rays to jump over you and re-take possession of first place.

The highlight of the game was a spectacular catch by Ichiro Suzuki to rob Jason Varitek of, what looked to be, a sure double off the wall in right center field in the 5th inning. When the ball first came off the bat, it looked like it had the legs to be a home run, but Ichiro got on his horse and flew after the ball on a collision course with the outfield fence. While still running full speed and a single step to go before reaching the wall, he jumped and caught the ball over his shoulder, and plowed into the wall face first, both feet still up off the ground. Luckily the wall is well padded and it threw Ichiro back towards the field. Ichiro, while falling backwards, incredibly ensured his grip on the ball was secure, grabbed his hat to keep it from flying off his head, and rolled back onto the grass. He was shaken, but firmly cemented in history, just completing one of the top catches of all time.

But, Ichiro could not provide all the defense for Seattle, and the Red Sox found ways to get enough runs to win. Seattle starter, Felix Hernandez, pitched a terrific game, only giving up a 4th inning solo home run to David Ortiz through 7 innings. But, the 8th inning would be his downfall. In the 8th the Red Sox finally wore him down (see how that works, Seattle?) as all nine batters got a turn at bat against Hernandez in the inning. By the time it was over, the Red Sox had scored 4 to take a 5-1 lead.

Hideki Okajima relieved Colon and pitched a scoreless 8th inning to turn the ball over to Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th. But, what looked like a textbook game for red Sox pitching started unravelling. Papelbon struck out the first batter to start the inning, but got himself in trouble as the next batter hit a dribbler back towards the mound. Papelbon fielded the ball but rushed the throw and sailed it over Sean Casey's head at first. Another single and a strikeout later, Papelbon found himself in more trouble. With runners on second and third, and two outs, Ichiro ripped a fastball to center to plate one run and put another runner at third. Papelbon then bounced a pitch to the next batter that flew 20 feet off of Varitek's Memorial Day camouflage armor to allow a second runner to score. But, a nifty play on a ground ball to his left allowed Dustin Pedroia to put an end to the game and preserve the 5-3 win.

Tonight our own Japanese sensation, Daisuke Matsuzaka, will try to improve his record to 9-0. The stars look like they are lined up for that to happen against the struggling Mariners who send Miguel Batista to the mound. Batista is 3-6 with a 6.47 ERA this season, and has been experimenting with a new throwing technique - one that is not working well for him. Stranger things have happened, but this seems like a game that Dice-K should win. The Mariners do not seem to possess the patience to let Dice-K get into trouble with walks or a high pitch count. When he paints the corners, they'll be swinging. That should work to his advantage, and keep the Sox in pace with the Rays in the chase for first place!

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)