It looked like Orioles Park at Camden Yards turned into Coors Field as the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox combined for ten home runs. The Orioles won that battle out-homering the Red Sox 6-4 and also taking the game, winning 12-9 on Saturday night.
Daisuke Matsuzaka made his first start of 2010 for the Red Sox and looked great for the first four innings, allowing just one hit and one run. Then the 5th inning happened where he was rocked for six runs. Tim Wakefield took over for Dice-K and wasn’t much better as he was torched for five runs.
While Dice-K gave up a few walks early on, he was able to work out of any trouble they put him in except for the first inning run. But in the 5th, he had trouble locating his fastball and the Orioles took full advantage of that. Whenever Dice-K takes the mound, we never really know what we’re going to get. And last night it was the Dice-K that shouldn’t really be in the rotation right now.
If he gets lit up again in his next start, you have to wonder what the Red Sox will do with him. They have a lot of money invested in him and releasing him isn’t an option. He’s got a clause in his contract that he can’t go to the minors so they’d probably have to put him in the bullpen, switching spots with Wake.
You can’t really blame Wake for his troubles last night. He was making his first appearance out of the bullpen in a very long time. It’s not an easy transition when you’ve been starting all season and then suddenly are forced to change your routine. Baseball players are creatures of habit and anything that changes that, can be disruptful.
On Saturday morning, I wrote that David Ortiz looked like he was entering his final days of wearing a Red Sox uniform. I will now eat my words. After watching him hit two home runs on Saturday night, including a towering shot off of a lefty, I fully think that he’s back.
The swing he made on the home run off Alberto Castillo was remincisent of Big Papi past. Terry Francona said he would get regular playing time over the weekend and it’s starting to pay off. Let’s just hope Big Papi builds off of last night’s two home runs and continues it as the Red Sox go forward.
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.
And if you must read the enemy paper, head over to the Baltimore Sun website. Or you can check out our Bloguin brother, the Oriole Post.
