Daisaster by Jared Carrabis
"If I keep going like this, I have no right to be part of this rotation"


It's now June 20 and Daisuke Matsuzaka has no idea what the seventh inning looks like in 2009. As a matter of fact, he hasn't even completed six innings this season.

With each start, Red Sox Nation grows more and more impatient with right-hander, Daisuke Matsuzaka. With Theo Epstein's team equipped with more than enough talent in the starting pitching department, Matsuzaka continues to pitch his way further and further away from a secured spot in the rotation.

Let's take a look at some of Daisuke's starts in 2009:

June 19: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 2 K, 67 pitches
June 13: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 K, 91 pitches
June 7: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 8 K, 102 pitches
May 27: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 102 pitches
May 22: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 80 pitches

His ugliest start came on April 14 when Matsuzaka went just one inning, giving up five earned runs on five hits, walking three after 43 pitches, but that rough outing was tied together with shoulder fatigue. However, the starts that I listed above have no excuse. It's gotten to the point where Matsuzaka is costing the Red Sox wins, precious wins at that, due to the fact that Boston plays in the most competitive division in all of baseball. Sure, October may be four months away, but in this division, every win counts.

In 2008, the Red Sox finished two games out of first place. In 2005, the Red Sox finished with an identical record to the New York Yankees, but missed out on a division title and in the historic season of 2004, Boston finished just three games behind the Yankees. So as you can see, even though it's June, every game counts. With each start that Daisuke takes the mound, the Red Sox are simply putting themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to reclaiming the AL East crown.

Now, I want to ask this question, because I think it may stir up your brains just a little bit. In no way, shape or form has Daisuke Matsuzaka brought himself to the equivalence to David Ortiz here in Boston, but in a sense that both have had great success in their Major League careers, both have struggled mightily in 2009. The only difference is that Red Sox fans supported Ortiz throughout his struggles in 2009, and if the season started on the first of June, Ortiz would be batting .325 with 4 HR and an OPS at 1.113.

We all love Big Papi, we all know what he has done for this team, and we certainly love his fun-loving personality, but my question to you is: why not support Daisuke the same way that we supported David Ortiz throughout his struggles? Both have been a crucial part of World Series winners here in Boston and Daisuke has performed quite well in his first two seasons here in Boston, finishing fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2007 and finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting just last year.

"Knowing how determined he is, knowing the work ethic that he has, he's disappointed, I'm sure, but at the same time, we can't forget this is a 33-game winner over the previous two years coming into this year," said Farrell. "We certainly have some work to do. Consistency of strikes, particularly with his fastball, is the primary target. We'll continue to work toward that."

In my eyes, I attribute the Boston fan's lack of support for Daisuke to the fact that the Japanese right-hander displays zero personality, no emotion. When Ortiz was struggling, we could see and almost feel his pain. When Ortiz was struggling, Red Sox fans almost couldn't enjoy a win if Ortiz had a bad day at the plate. Daisuke has cost the Red Sox some games, but don't you think Ortiz's game in Anaheim where he stranded 12 men on base led to an eventual loss? The point I'm trying to make here is that these two have had success in the past and David Ortiz is living proof that when you hit rock bottom (like he did the first two months of the season and Daisuke has now), it doesn't mean that success will never come for them again.

If I were to poll Red Sox Nation right now, what percentage do you think would vote Matsuzaka right out of the rotation after Friday night's start? How about even before Friday night's start? The fact is that yes, Daisuke has shown us nothing in 2009 and at the Major League level, you should earn your spot in the rotation, especially on a team like the Boston Red Sox, so Daisuke has essentially made his own bed here.

"If I keep going like this, I have no right to be part of this rotation," said Matsuzaka.

Matsuzaka was 18-3 in 2008 and held his opponents to a .211 batting average. In 2009, Daisuke's record sits at 1-5 with an abysmal 8.23 ERA. There's no chance in him duplicating what he did for this team in 2008, but it's not too late for him to turn his season around and help this team win. He'll have to try his hardest to keep his eyes off of his numbers, because there's almost no chance in him saving his season statistically, but that doesn't mean he can't contribute to the team's overall success down the stretch.

In my opinion, this was Daisuke's biggest start to save his spot in the Sox rotation in 2009. Whatever Theo Epstein and Terry Francona decide to do with the spot that Matsuzaka has pretty much vacated with his own performance will be in the best interest of the team. With Brad Penny getting stronger by the start, John Smoltz eyeing his Red Sox debut within the days to come and Clay Buchholz banging on the Red Sox' door from Pawtucket, it's only fair that the worthy get a shot to help this team win.

For the short term, the Red Sox could always dispose of Matsuzaka into the bullpen in a mop-up role until he rediscovers the talent that lurks somewhere inside of him, but until then, the Red Sox can't afford to trot him out there every fifth day and consistently see bad outing after bad outing. Will he return to '08 form? It's very possible, but I just don't think that he should be trying to get his act together while pitching in this rotation every fifth day when more deserving arms are patiently waiting their turn.

Matsuzaka surrendered a home run to Nate McClouth on the first pitch he threw on Friday night. Later in the inning, he walked in a run to put the Sox down 2-0 in the blink of an eye. In the top of the fifth with no outs and Brian McCann standing at second with a double, Terry Francona made his way out to the mound as sarcastic cheers rained down upon the Red Sox manager. Trailing by 5-0 at that point, Matsuzaka made his way into the Red Sox dugout, as boos were heard throughout Fenway Park.

"Everybody knows that I haven't been performing well, and as a professional, I have to accept when I get a reaction like that," Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino.

The only thing that saved the Red Sox from being shut out by the Atlanta Braves was a two-run bomb off the bat of Jason Bay that landed in the parking lot across the street on Lansdowne. The home run for Bay was his eighteenth and his first long ball since he went deep against the Phillies on June 13.

Things you'll need to know to impress your friends:

Daisuke Matsuzaka took yet another loss on Friday night and is still winless at Fenway Park dating back to August 29 of last season. Opponents are now hitting an eye-popping .371 against Daisuke in 2009.

Jason Bay accounted for the only two hits the Red Sox offense could muster including HR number 18 and his sixteenth double of 2009. The two runs driven in on his two-run bomb brought his RBI total up to an AL-best 65 runs batted in.

With trade rumors flying around as the deadline nears next month, Sox fans have been wondering if their team will acquire a shortstop. Well, instead of trading for a quality shortstop, how about getting one for free. Jed Lowrie will be heading to Pawtucket on Sunday to begin a rehab stint at the Triple-A level, as he eyes a return somewhere in the late days of June or the first week of July.

Saturday's pitching match up:

Saturday should be a good one. Derek Lowe will be making his first start at Fenway Park since the 2004 season in which he was the winning pitcher in each postseason series throughout the Red Sox' magical World Series run. Lowe will be making his first appearance in Fenway since he returned to Boston in his Red Sox jersey on Opening Day 2005 (then a member of the LA Dodgers) to claim his well earned World Series ring. In his time spent with the Red Sox, after converting from being Boston's closer in 2002, Lowe has made 46 starts at Fenway Park, going 28-10 over that span with a 3.20 ERA.

Opposing D-Lowe will be the fearsome, Josh Beckett. The flame-throwing right-hander is 3-0 at Fenway this year with a 3.55 ERA. In Beckett's last five starts previous to his loss against the Phillies on Sunday, the right-hander had gone 35.2 innings with a 0.77 ERA and 35 strikeouts. Beckett was 4-0 over that span, and would have been 5-0 had it not been for a blown save by Jonathan Papelbon against the Mets.

If you have tickets tomorrow, be sure to give D-Lowe a well-deserved warm welcome home,
-Jared Carrabis

Final Score: Braves 8, Red Sox 2

Published on June 20, 2009

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