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September 8, 2007
BALTIMORE – What’s wrong with Daisuke Matsuzaka?
Has he hit the wall in the major leagues? If it’s not fatigue, is there something physically wrong with him?
How else to explain Matsuzaka’s dreadful performance last night when the woeful Baltimore Orioles, losers of 15 of their last 17 overall and a franchise-record-tying 11 straight at home, battered the right-hander for eight earned runs on six hits in only 2 2/3 innings at Camden Yards, a game the Boston Red Sox lost, 11-5.
Included in that ugly line were two gopher balls, a solo shot in the first by light-hitting Tike Redman, who began the year playing ball in Japan, and a grand slam by Scott Moore, a veteran of only 53 big-league at-bats before unloading on a fat fastball for his first hit in 14 at-bats in the majors this year.
Moore’s slam capped a seven-run third-inning explosion at the expense of Matsuzaka, who had been handed early leads of 2-0 and 4-1. As the ball disappeared into the bleachers, well past Coco Crisp’s vain attempt at a leaping catch, Dice-K put his hands on his knees and bent over in frustration and irritation, and a few seconds later he was yanked by Boston manager Terry Francona.
The start was by far the shortest of the season for Matsuzaka, who had gone at least five innings in each of his previous 28 outings.
His fastball had very little life or movement. His slider had precious little movement or bite. And in the seven-run third, Matsuzaka was missing consistently up and away with fastballs to left-handers and tried to navigate his way through the jam by using just fastballs and sliders, a plan that clearly didn’t work.
What makes last night’s horror show all the more distressing is that it cannot be shrugged off as an isolated, one-of-those-games kind of outings. It continued a downward spiral for the former Japanese League star, for whom the Red Sox paid over $100 million to secure his rights and sign him to a contract last winter.
The postseason is around the corner, and Dice-K is faltering badly down the stretch.
Over his last three starts, Matsuzaka is 1-2 with a 12.56 earned-run average, having been strafed for 22 hits and 20 earned runs in only 14 1/3 innings. And over his last five starts, Dice-K is 1-4 with a 9.57 E.R.A., tagged for 32 hits and 28 earned runs in 26 1/3 innings.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to guess that maybe he is getting tired, worn down by the season, which is longer here than it is in Japan and features much more travel.
The Sox have tried to give him extra rest between starts – as they try to do with everyone in the rotation. Over his last five starts, for instance, he worked on an extra day of rest three times.
As the innings have piled up, so have the gopher balls he has been surrendering.
Over his first 17 starts, totaling 114 2/3 innings, Matsuzaka was victimized for only 9 homers, which averages out roughly to one every 12 2/3 innings. But beginning with his start in Detroit on July 8, the last day before the All-Star break, Dice-K has been crushed for 14 homers in only 12 starts totaling 69 2/3 innings, roughly one every five-plus innings. It’s worse over the last four outings – 6 homers in the last 20 1/3 innings, or one roughly every 3 1/3 innings.
In his last two seasons in Japan, Matsuzaka pitched 215 innings in 28 games in 2005 and 186 1/3 innings in 25 games in 2006. This season, Masuzaka has made 29 starts already, totaling 184 1/3 innings, and it’s only Sept. 9.
Prior to last night, the Sox have been quick to discount any tired-arm theories.
In his previous start, staked to a 10-1 lead against Toronto, Dice-K came unglued in the sixth inning. Matsuzaka retired only one batter in the inning and ultimately was charged with seven runs.
After the game, manager Terry Francona waved off any suggestions that Matsuzaka might be getting tired, bemoaning a little bit of bad luck on a flare and a touch bounce. Catcher and team captain Jason Varitek echoed the theme.
Last night, it was hard to watch Matsuzaka struggle through the third – single, double, walk, walk, single, walk, strikeout (after Aubrey Huff ‘s bid for a grand slam to right curved foul at the last instant), popup, grand slam – without wondering if there’s something wrong with Dice-K, and if can be counted on down the stretch and through the postseason.
--STEVE KRASNER
Posted by Corey Bourassa 
at 9:58 PM to Krasner
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margaret | September 9, 2007 9:40 AM link
John Keough | September 9, 2007 10:28 AM link
CHARO | September 9, 2007 12:19 PM link
Dice K is s man in a foreign land and I do feel sorry for him, He is is hitting batters twice the size of him,his arm some how can't reach decided object. It is sad when agents Scott Borjass is just interested in in billions.
What has happened to JD Drew? Scott Borass
Maybe he should pitch or hit and give his billions to his clients