In his first start in a Major League ballpark, Daisuke Matsuzaka had a little trouble finding the strike zone against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon. The Sox ended up winning the game 7-5. But that wasn’t the big story of the day. Neither was Pat Burrell giving the Red Sox the #1 salute.So you ask what is the story of his outing? It is his walk totals. He walked 4 in the game on Saturday bringing his total to a lofty 9 in the past two games. He did strikeout 7 Phillies hitters and only gave up 2 hits allowing 3 runs.
Should we be concerned about his high walk totals? Matsuzaka isn’t concerned about it at all.
“I feel like I have a good grasp of the Major League strike zone. As far as the number of walks, I don’t think it’s related to the strike zone.”
“I didn’t feel probably nervous for any reason,” Matsuzaka said. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to throw in a big-league park before the season.”
You really have to wonder if the adjustment to the 5 man rotation isn’t going as well as he had hoped. He is used to working in a 6 man rotation and being able to get all of his work in. He has adjusted his exercise program a little bit.
“As far as my physical condition, I changed up my routine just a little bit,” Matsuzaka said. “The result was what I expected based on the changes. … I wasn’t too concerned with lack of control or anything like that.”
So now it’s on to Kansas City for Matsuzaka and the Sox as they both prepare for the Kansas City Royals. You can bet your bottom dollar that Matsuzaka is reviewing tapes of the hitters for the Royals to prepare for his first Major League start.
