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Dice-K Expects To Extend Series

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By TONY FABRIZIO

afabrizio@tampatrib.com

Published: October 16, 2008

Updated: 10/16/2008 12:13 am

BOSTON - Hope for the Red Sox tonight in Game 5 comes in the form of a Japanese pitcher who appeared almost smug in his confidence Wednesday during a media session.

Daisuke Matsuzaka certainly has cause for some cockiness. In a series that has been mostly dominated by Tampa Bay's bats, the skilled right-hander held the Rays to four hits through seven innings in Boston's 2-0 victory in Game 1.

Dice-K gets the ball in an elimination game at Fenway Park - if he isn't on, the Red Sox's season could end.

"I'm not Josh Beckett," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter of the Red Sox's former postseason ace. "But if I can pitch like he did last year and hand the ball off to the guys behind me, that would be great."

Matsuzaka, who led Japan's Pacific League four times in strikeouts before coming to Boston in 2007, went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA during the regular season. He has struggled with control and his pitch count at times, but against the Rays at Tropicana Field in Game 1, he was sharp and efficient while striking out nine.

"He threw harder than normal with his two-seamer," the Rays' Carl Crawford said. "And it was moving across the plate. At times we thought the pitches he was throwing were balls. You go look at the tape, and they were strikes."
Matsuzaka has an array of off-speed and breaking pitches, including his two-seam sinking fastball, known as a shuuto.

He admitted Wednesday that he threw the shuuto more in Game 1 than usual.

"It isn't a pitch that I threw a lot during the regular season, so sometimes in those situations where I am able to throw it in a great number, I can rely on it," he said.

The Rays had no extra-base hits in Game 1. Akinori Iwamura, B.J. Upton, Crawford and Cliff Floyd pestered Matsuzaka with singles.

Bad Sign

Is the Red Sox season going down in flames? It would appear so after consecutive home lopsided losses to the Rays.

And then there was the fact that the famed Citgo sign that stands as a landmark beyond the Green Monster caught fire on Wednesday. A small electrical blaze caused some of the plastic cover to melt, the local media reported.

The 60-by-60 sign has held its spot on top of a building on Beacon Street since 1940.

Old School

Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan had an interesting exchange with Red Sox manager Terry Francona the other day about Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox's tenacious second baseman.

Ryan asked Francona to describe Pedroia's play to someone who had never seen him.

"I'm not sure I can explain him to people that have seen him," Francona said. "He's one of the very best players in the game. I think that as the people around him will tell you, he plays with a chip on his shoulder. That's part of what gets his motor running."

Rays manager Joe Maddon had an even better answer when asked the same question about Pedroia.

"He played in 1910, 1920, 1930, all the way up to present day," Maddon said. "... He's not a great runner ... He's not the tallest, biggest guy in the world. But he plays baseball big."

Versus Kazmir

Francona didn't have much of a reaction to the Rays' decision to go with lefty Scott Kazmir instead of scheduled starter James Shields tonight.

"I don't know that it'll affect who plays," he said. "It may affect our batting order. We've been looking at that a little bit, and we'll continue to do that."

The Red Sox's only lineup deviation in Game 2 against Kazmir was Coco Crisp starting in the outfield instead of left-handed batting J.D. Drew. Crisp also started Game 4 for struggling Jacoby Ellsbury.

Tony Fabrizio

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