Game 142: Daisuke Matsuzaka is back and dominates Angels

by Randy Booth on Sep 15, 2009 10:17 PM EDT in News

That, Red Sox Nation, is Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Forget the horrible performances from earlier this year. Even forget those rehab assignments. Because the Daisuke Matsuzaka we saw tonight is the guy we're used to. And he couldn't come back at a better time.

Matsuzaka pitched 6+ shutout innings to lead the Red Sox over the Angels, 4-1, at Fenway Park on Tuesday night.

Dice-K allowed no runs, three hits, three walks and struck out five to earn his second victory of the season. Matsuzaka was helped out by a John Lackey throwing error in the sixth that plated Alex Gonzalez. David Ortiz and Jason Bay also had RBI singles, while Ortiz put the Sox up even more with a dead-center solo shot in the 8th inning.

Jonathan Papelbon gave up a run in the 9th, but that was all against the Sox pitching staff tonight, which saw Ramon Ramirez, Billy Wagner and Daniel Bard as well.

This, without a doubt, may be the biggest game all season for the Red Sox. Maybe this is even the turning point for the Sox. Combine what Matsuzaka did tonight with your typical performance from Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, and this may be the team to beat come October. While the offense finds its groove (barring Kevin Youkilis is OK after back spasms kept him out tonight), this team has just gotten 10 times scarier with Matsuzaka's performance tonight.

It's really easy to read into what Matsuzaka did tonight -- he was just awesome. He was the best we've seen him all year, but will it last? He has three more starts this season to prove that tonight was not a fluke. If he proves it, the Red Sox are heading to October with perhaps the best rotation the 2009 postseason will see.

Ninteen games left. Five games up on the Rangers. I'm ready for October. Are you?

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Pitch F/X coming up soon.

@bs_uf15bosox9be The Original Gameday; Learn to use SB Nation

by bdalebs on Sep 15, 2009 10:20 PM EDT reply actions

Up now.

As is Rev’s postgame on Halo’s Heaven. Good for a laugh, as always, but remember – you wouldn’t take The Onion seriously, right? Learn from the response to E-Coli’s comments over there.

@bs_uf15bosox9be The Original Gameday; Learn to use SB Nation

by bdalebs on Sep 15, 2009 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I couldn't stop laughing at E's comment...

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Sep 16, 2009 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Oh

And thank you guys, all the commentators at OTM, for being you — and not those guys.

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Sep 16, 2009 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions

You're welcome?

They’re lucky I used up my one ban-worthy comment already, or I would have gone ranting.

@bs_uf15bosox9be The Original Gameday; Learn to use SB Nation

by bdalebs on Sep 16, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions

very very nice

If tonight wasn’t a fluke, there’s no perhaps about it. Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, and Matsu would be the best first-four in baseball, no question.

Let’s hope. And for wake to come back!

by Sophomore on Sep 15, 2009 10:23 PM EDT reply actions

Heh, I said Dice-K would do well tonight

and I’m glad I was right. Assuming the Rangers lose tonight (they’re getting clocked 6-1 as of this post lol), we’ll be up 5.5 in the WC. Sounds like we’re on our way to October to me!

by Tai on Sep 15, 2009 10:42 PM EDT reply actions

This is a better Dice-K than the guy we saw last year.

Somewhat less nibbling, and much more efficient than usual.

by lone1c on Sep 15, 2009 10:53 PM EDT reply actions

+1

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Sep 15, 2009 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed.

There was very little anxiety watching him pitch. Last year, I was always waiting for the flood gates to open.

Man I love that tuna casserole.

by Bloggy on Sep 16, 2009 6:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Agree

in terms of efficiency and even “stuff” that would have been one of a handful of Dice’s best starts last year (he had 2 like that against the White Sox). Not quite as good as his game 1 start against the Rays in the ALCS but a great start, especially for a guy who had not pitched in months. Very, very good sign.

by Buzzy on Sep 16, 2009 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions

MFY got in a fight, and lost.

Sweet.

@bs_uf15bosox9be The Original Gameday; Learn to use SB Nation

by bdalebs on Sep 15, 2009 11:10 PM EDT reply actions

Great win all around

Agree about the significance of the game, but don’t take Youk’s return for granted. Back problems are tricky. (See Wakefield, Tim.)

by Mister Snitch on Sep 15, 2009 11:41 PM EDT reply actions

'Youk's back problems will keep him out another game or two'

Here:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/09/sox_lineup_13.html

And who warned about this? Why, ’twas I.

An overflowing stream of somethingorother am I.

by Mister Snitch on Sep 16, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

great performance-playoffs set

i thought dice was in attack mode all evening. combine that w/the apparent & predictable fade by the rangers i’m feeling pretty relaxed over here in thailand. it was great to be able to watch the game on truevision as well.

by thaipatsfan on Sep 16, 2009 1:44 AM EDT reply actions

question

who would you rather line up with in october? beckett, lester, bucholtz, (a healthy) dice. or, sabathia, burnett, pettitte, & joba?

by thaipatsfan on Sep 16, 2009 1:49 AM EDT reply actions

They may not have Petitte

Talk on ESPN Tues nite about shutting him down (“shoulder weakness”). That’s a big ol’ monkey wrench (if true).

by Mister Snitch on Sep 16, 2009 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions

too bad

not a yankee fan of course, but don’t like to see injuries either. i hope it’s not a serious injury as pettitte has always seemed a solid guy (just hate that uni)

by thaipatsfan on Sep 16, 2009 4:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Only two of those pitchers have had any real success in the playoffs

And neither of them wear pinstripes.

by lone1c on Sep 16, 2009 6:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Sabathia had a pretty good game against the MFY

in Game 1 of the ALDS, his other two outings werent that great.. Actually, if it wasn’t Franklin Guitierrez not reading Youklis’s deep fly ball correctly, his Game 5 2007 ALCS start wasn’t that bad, it just wasn’t the caliber of Beckett’s sheer domination in Game 5, when the Sox needed it the most…

by superferret on Sep 16, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Beckett's outing

…was a thing of freakin’ beauty.

Man I love that tuna casserole.

by Bloggy on Sep 16, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Competitors do not give up

Dice-K might be a lot of things, cocky, stubborn, maybe even a little pampered by the attention from Japan…but one thing he has always been is a competitor.

I just could not see Dice-K coming out and half assing it when he knows that everyone in Japan, Boston and MLB is looking to see if he can suck it up and play like a professional.

Everyone in the AL just started to look at the rotations and with Dice-K and Buchholz’s recent performances and Burnett sucking it up or a nightly basis and Petitte possibly tired, the AL race changed.

I know Yankee fan, just keep forgetting how many outs there are, keep telling people the park’s wind vortex has not given the Yankees 7-9 more wins than they should of gotten and keep telling yourselves this year CC and A-Rod will be awesome in the playoffs.

by SoxAcumen on Sep 16, 2009 6:39 PM EDT reply actions