If anyone can figure out Daisuke Matsuzaka, can you please let the rest of us know?
Last night at Fenway Park,the Boston Red Sox found themselves trailing 3-0 to the Oakland A’s after the top of the 1st when Dice-K looked like, well Dice-K. I’m sure your first thought like mine was, okay here we go again what else is on television. But then after the bottom of the 1st thanks to a Kevin Youkilis double, the Red Sox found themselves trailing 3-2 and you wondered if Dice-K was going to suck again the next inning.
He was far from that as he scattered six hits the rest of the way and didn’t walk anyone. He just went out there and battled and pitched like he did in his near no-hitter. He attacked the strike zone like it was nobody’s business as he threw 84 of his 109 pitches for strikes.
Things were so bad for Dice-K in that first inning that he actually hearing boos from the Fenway Faithful. But by the time he walked off the mound after seven innings, he left to a standing ovation and gave those same fans who were booing him, a tip of the cap.
To say David Ortiz is in a zone right now is an understatement. Simply put, the man is on fire and he’s fully back from the struggles that plagued him earlier this season.
How do we know this? It’s quite simple actually.
After hitting a 2-run homer in the 5th inning to put the Red Sox up 4-3, he earned an intentional walk his next time up in the 7th inning. He finished the night 2-for-2 with the 2-run homer, two runs scored and two walks.
Marco Scutaro continues to shine at the top filling in for Jacoby Ellsbury as he had a three-hit effort while Darnell McDonald added two hits as well.
Things are certainly clicking right now for the Red Sox on all cylinders and they’ll look for that to continue this afternoon when they try to complete a three-game sweep of the A’s before heading south to Baltimore.
We’ll be back in just a short while with this afternoon’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, any news and links but for now enjoy the overnight links.
Making sense of Matsuzaka, ‘The Magic Man’ [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Sox are paced by pair [Boston Globe]
Dice-K takes the fifth [Boston Globe]
Big week on and off the field for Sox [Boston Globe]
Beckett’s return at least a month away [Boston Globe]
Recap: Red Sox 6, Athletics 4 [Boston Herald]
Papi’s big once again [Boston Herald]
Red Sox no-no kids feel for costly call [Boston Herald]
AL honors David Ortiz, Jon Lester [Boston Herald]
Mike Cameron bids Ken Griffey Jr. adieu [Boston Herald]
Sox climb out of early hole, win fourth straight [CSN New England]
Cameron calls for instant replay in baseball [CSN New England]
Johnson gets the boot [ESPN Boston]
Cameron averts DL, but questions remain [ESPN Boston]
SoxProspects.com: May minor league notes [ESPN Boston]
Sox talk Griffey, replay and another win [Extra Bases]
Ortiz: Wrist no longer an issue [Full Count]
Closing Time: Red Sox 6, Athletics 4 [Full Count]
Bard brought the heat, and then some [Full Count]
Cameron and Junior: Forever linked [Full Count]
Red Sox and People Magazine Announce Finalists for ‘People All-Stars’ Campaign [NESN.com]
David Ortiz Stays Patient, Waits for Pitch and Hammers Home Run [NESN.com]
Matsuzaka rolls with the punches [Providence Journal]
Beltre’s bat warming up with the weather [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Beckett on the shelf for at least 10 more days [Providence Journal]
It’s time for baseball to change its rules on instant replay [Providence Journal]
Striking turnaround for Dice-K vs. A’s [RedSox.com]
Red Sox get good news on Cameron [RedSox.com]
Beckett won’t throw for another 10 days [RedSox.com]
Deciphering how much Boras influences Ellsbury [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
For more slices of 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 papers, you can check out the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News websites.
