June 19, 2009

G67: Atlanta 8, Red Sox 2

Atlanta - 200 220 101 -  8 11  1
Red Sox - 000 002 000 - 2 2 1
A horrific five-batter start from Matsuzaka put the Red Sox in a quick hole. Coupled with their weak offense -- Boston has collected only three hits in their last 14 innings -- it was a disheartening night from beginning to end.

Boston got a two-run bomb to left from Jason Bay in the sixth, but that was the offense. Only one other Red Sox runner advanced past first base -- and that was Bay, as well, as he doubled in the second and took third on a passed ball.

How bad was Dice's first inning?

Nate McLouth: First pitch HR to right-center

Yunel Escobar: Ball 1, line drive single to left

Chipper Jones: First pitch double roped to right

Brian McCann: Ball 1, ball 2, ball 3, ball 4 (bases loaded)

Garret Anderson: Ball 1, ball 2, ball 3, ball 4 (RBI, bases loaded)

As Justin Masterson began throwing in the bullpen, Matsuzaka slipped a strike past Matt Diaz to a raucous cheer -- the first strike he had thrown that was not hammered for a hit. It was Dice's 13th pitch of the night. He lasted two batters into the fifth (4-8-6-4-2, 67) and saw his ERA rise to 8.23.

Matsuzaka did have a decent stretch after that bases-loaded walk gave Atalanta a 2-0 lead. He struck out Diaz and got lucky when Casey Kotchman lined into an unassisted DP to Kevin Youkilis. Dice walked the leadoff man in the second, but had no other trouble (11 pitches), allowed a two-out single in the third (12 pitches) and retired the first two batters in the fourth on three pitches.

Then a walk, double and single doubled Atlanta's lead to 4-0. And Dice allowed back-to-back doubles to start the fifth; both of those runners eventually scored, as well.

That 12-batter stretch was encouraging -- until the roof fell in. And so, the only question being asked is: How long can the front office keep sending him out to the mound?

***

Kenshin Kawakami (4.54, 93 ERA+) / Daisuke Matsuzaka (7.55, 62 ERA+)

Kawakami (who turns 34 next Monday) is a rookie right-hander from Japan. He made his debut on April 11 and has made 12 starts this year. In a spring training game back on March 30, Kawakami allowed two runs to the Red Sox in six innings.

Opponents are batting .372 against Matsuzaka, along with a robust 1.059 OPS. That OPS would be good for 5th best in MLB. His BABIP is .444! ... Beckett got his act together. So did Lester. Penny doing well, too. It's your turn, Dice.

IYI: On Wednesday, Dustin Pedroia became the first Red Sox second baseman since 1954 to log at least three hits, three RBIs and two stolen bases in a game. ... Derek Lowe is blogging.

168 comments:

Patrick said...

I thought it was June. When I think of June, I think of the bus letting me out of school on that final day, and just running across the yard in the sunlight.

I want sun.

allan said...

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. J.D. Drew, RF
3. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
4. Jason Bay, LF
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Mike Lowell, 3B
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Nick Green, SS

1. Nate McLouth, CF
2. Yunel Escobar, SS
3. Chipper Jones, 3B
4. Brian McCann, C
5. Garret Anderson,. DH
6. Matt Diaz, LF
7. Casey Kotchman, 1B
8. Jeff Francouer, RF
9. Kelly Johnson, 2B

s1c said...

Why Daisuke should do better tonight, Braves aren't known for being patient.

Why he will struggle those BABIP numbers.

allan said...

A lineup without Lugo is kind of like a sunny day, no?

Rob said...

Mr. Hanky even has a Twitter. "Anyone know how to get to the Marlins game from Tampa? Felix stole my GPS when I asked him to wash my car."

Rob said...

It may be damp and rainy and dreary outside but it really is a sunny day inside.

andy said...

A lineup without Lugo is like an MLB lineup.

Rob said...

The sun is out!

Rob said...

Reading through Hank Steinbrenner's twitter profile I'm not entire sure if this is really him or not... But I don't care! It's hilarious.

His bio says: "I own the Yankees. I love cigarettes." Profile pic shows him smoking a cigarette.

He's also rather fond of dick jokes and bashing Brian Cashman.

"By the by, I won't let Cash DFA Veras until Veras finishes teaching me how to salsa dance. I wanna shake my hips like a young Ricky Martin." 6.12 3:21p

"It's good to know the power of the Mets Choke overrules the power of the Arod Choke. That 270 million was well spent." 6.13 12:29p

"Our $6 Nathans hot dog is packed with family value. That's only $1.50 per bite for a family of 4 sharing 1 dog! Service included!"
6.13 12:36p

"Thank God I overruled that dolt Cashman when he wanted to trade our best & brightest for Santana. Damn, you need me on that wall."
6.14 6:38p

"Girardi didn't appreciate the cartons of cigs I left in the players lockers for creaming the Mets. F him. I want a manager who smokes."
6.15 5:48p

"Cash just texted me "There's a new wang in the world!". If he thought about the bullpen as much as he did about peckers we'd be in first!"
6.16 3:38p

"If you're gonna lose a tough one, it's best to lose to a great team like the Nats. Villone, Nieves, Gonzales. That team is stacked."
6.18 2:11a

"Cash texted "wang looked solid tonight". Intervention time. The little dork's a sex addict. Where'd they send Duchovony? Anyone know?"
6.18 2:27a


Peter Abraham (LoHud): Is "fatigue" code for "no longer on steroids and/or HGH?" Only eight more years of this. 6.19 5:58p

Mr. Hanky: @PeteAbe It's all that darn Cashman's fault. I didn't want to resign him! I'm surrounded by incompetence. I wanted Apollo Crede for 3b. 6.19 6:09p

Rob said...

link, btw.

allan said...

no way that is him.

Rob said...

It's still funny.

Rob said...

Not as funny, but it's still funny.

Okay, I'll try to begin to formulate these thoughts into one comment next time.

allan said...

Is that BABIP bad luck or is he getting consistently pounded? Probably some of both ...

Zenslinger said...

Extensive discussion on SoSH, including shit I did not understand, does indeed suggest some of both.

allan said...

Well, that's the easy call. "Some of each!"

Now we need him to find some good luck and stop throwing flat fastballs.

allan said...

OH FUCKING JESUS WHORE OF A CHRIST SHITBAG

Zenslinger said...

Damn. It. All.

allan said...

Alright .. where is the rain?

Rob said...

Allan it's a sunny day in Boston now...

YES!!!! That pitch wasn't hit!

Zenslinger said...

It's inescapable at the moment to consider the possibility of McCann hitting a triple. Then Atlanta would hit for the cycle in the first four batters.

allan said...

ATL needs a triple for the cycle.

Zenslinger said...

Something must be very wrong with Daisuke. I forsee a long stay on the DL for him.

allan said...

when will he throw a strike that isn't pounded all over the lot?

Rob said...

Dear me. This is bad.

allan said...

and it's on pitch 13.

Rob said...

STRIKE! STRIKE!

allan said...

donkey is up

Rob said...

lol We're counting his pitches for the wrong reason.

mattymatty said...

He just walked Garret Anderson on four straight pitches... Nobody has ever walked Garret Anderson on four straight pitches.

Rob said...

Dice-K! That was huge.

DP ball! Do it!

allan said...

now dice will retire 24 in a row!

?

mattymatty said...

Ooops... I think my MLB.tv is way behind y'all.

allan said...

YOOOKON GOLD!

Rob said...

3u DP!!! WOW! Only two runs! Charmed life.

allan said...

only 18 pitches, not bad!

Patrick said...

No offense Daisuke, but, ehh, you suck.

Rob said...

Nope. On pace for 5-6 innings!

Zenslinger said...

Wow. Line drive DP = Godsend.

Do you even send him out in the second inning?

Rob said...

Well Zen if Dice has that much Houdini in him then yes.

allan said...

fuckin' a, you send him out. yes.

allan said...

FN!

Benjamin said...

So can we DL Daisuke yet?

Amy said...

So I see DiceK is doing his usual crap. I am going to get ice cream. Perhaps there will be pitching change before I return. I just don't want indigestion tonight.

Patrick said...

My guess is, if Dice continues to suck this game, he ends up on the DL, and Smoltz takes his place.

Zenslinger said...

Kawakami's mediocre, though somewhat tenacious. We should be able to score some runs off him.

Benjamin said...

I just wish "Daisuke" weren't Japanese for "Chien-Ming Wang".

allan said...

well, *that* was encouraging.

Benjamin said...

He struck out the side, but it wasn't an immaculate inning. Small victories.

Benjamin said...

By the way, fuck Verizon and their failure to show up and do their fucking installation on the day it was scheduled.

Patrick said...

Play a board game with Mike Lowell? I wanna win that shit!

allan said...

I wonder if Buchholz is watching this game.

allan said...

walked a guy with a .285 OBP

fuck me.

Amy said...

We had a similar issue with Comcast, Benjamin. They said they would be here between 11 and 2, but did not show up til 3. And did nothing when they got here. Guy says just a lot of traffic is the reason we are getting such slow service at night.

Patrick said...

Dice deciding to get outs before the bases are loaded. Novel idea.

Benjamin said...

New England Telephone may not have offered FIOS, but at least they had a pentatonic jingle you could play on a piano's black keys.

allan said...

"too much traffic"

fuck you .. then increase your ability to handle that internet traffic, you fucking idiots.

mattymatty said...

I can't believe he walked Anderson and Francououououeaeaour.

Coming into this game, Anderson and Francoeur had a combined 18 walks in 394 at-bats, and Matsuzaka walked 'em both.

Patrick said...

Pedroia was doing an event with Wes Welker earlier today. New Englands favorite squirelly bastards. I like that duo.

Patrick said...

hah! Benjamin, I somehow played that on my first try after you mentioned it. All black keys.

allan said...

tie it up, l-father.

Patrick said...

Fucking Ortiz.

Dustin keeps his MVP trophy under his pool table.

allan said...

wow - ugly K from flo

Amy said...

Allan, that's exactly what I said to the guy (without the profanity), in addition to complaining about being 1-4 hours late....

Meanwhile, it probably means many nights I will be unable to thread. ARggh.

allan said...

McCafe?

***

McFuckOff!

allan said...

i heard the same thing from rogers cable up here.

"well, too many people are using the system".

wtf? upgrade!

also rogers has a program where you can have unlimited bandwidth usage for $X, but they cap (or had capped) it -- because somepeople with the unlimited plan use a lot.

unbelievable.

allan said...

i wonder if dice is trying to pitch more to contact to lower his # of pitches, but is still working out the kinks.

meanwhile, mfy up 4-0 in the 2nd over the fish.

allan said...

with that foul pop, dice has thrown 6 pitches to the last 4 hitters

allan said...

Should parents who bring their little kids to watch Matsuzaka pitch be charged with child abuse?

Discuss.

Rob said...

I don't have problems here with internets at night. It's 200fricken9 they shouldn't be having this problem.

Btw make sure nobody's downloading things on another computer. I used to download using Bittorrent and everyone else in the house had sludge for internet speed.

Rob said...

If you bring your wife to a Dice-K game is it considered domestic violence? Spouse abuse?


If you bring drugs to Fenway for a Dice-K start is that drug abuse?

Rob said...

That took a bad hop! Damn.

Rob said...

Sorry but that was a funny looking play on slow-mo.

Zenslinger said...

Btw make sure nobody's downloading things on another computer. I used to download using Bittorrent and everyone else in the house had sludge for internet speed.

Your bittorrent client should have settings for speed limits. Set 'em for about half of what your max is (on up and down) and it shouldn't bother anyone. Although if we're streaming video, I just turn it off.

Zenslinger said...

Dice's WHIP is down to a tidy 2.33 for the game now.

Rob said...

Saberhagen in da house.

Patrick said...

Speaking of abuse, I and strangely enough two other people I know have the problem of always ending up with Wakefield games. It's a curse.

Rob said...

Zen that's a good idea. For now I just wait to download things during off-hours for other people here.

Rob said...

We spend approx. 1/4 of our lives sleeping. Another 1/4 of our lives waiting and doing nothing. Whether it be at work or in a doctor's office or waiting for your mother at TJ Max for an hour...

We also spend approx. 1/4 of our lives watching Dice-K pitch.

allan said...

and it's ooogle-the-wives time for eck!!!

Rob said...

Mrs. Oki and Mrs. Papi promoting picnic-in-the-park.

Rob said...

Eck: I don't use a hair dryer. I just let my hair... naturally dry."

They're gettin' on his moss.

No, that's what he wishes they were getting on. And you don't use a blow dryer for that.

Rob said...

/Andy

allan said...

no dryer--

don: you mean it gets that way like that?!?

Patrick said...

How about some lumber? seems like we haven't scored much in awhile.

Rob said...

HAHA Don: The ricochet is nasty!

Zenslinger said...

Opinions: is Dice suddenly pitching well?

Question: am I the only person who cannot type "Dice-K" without first typing "Dick"?

allan said...

why the fuck is lbj at the base of the wall? he has got to play the carom on a ball that hits that far up.

Rob said...

I had a similar thought about LBJ. Mine was more like: How many games have you played at Fenway?

Patrick said...

Hah, that sounds like your mental text suggester thinks you use the word dick more often than dice-k.

Zenslinger said...

Opinions: is Dice suddenly pitching well?

Scratch that.

mattymatty said...

Dice-K still walks a guy an inning and gives up at least one really hard hit ball per inning. It doesn't look like much of an improvement from where I sit. Really folks, this can't continue.

Rob said...

Red Sox should not be having to come back from down 4 runs every time Dice takes the hill.

Patrick said...

DEE EL DICE KAY clap clap clap clap clap

Rob said...

STUPID FUCKING TWITCHEY COCK APPLE STREUSEL SHOW THE GAME!!!

Rob said...

Eck: "What's a 5?" In reference to McCann's signs.

"Oh. I guess it's a changeup." He sounded really disappointed. And just weirded out.

mattymatty said...

TOM BRADY GOT A BABY MA-MAAAAAAA!
TOM BRADY GOT A BABY MA-MAAAAAAA!

Patrick said...

Third time through, we'll be banging dongs left and right.

Rob said...

Okay that's just wrong. Tiny kids with mohawks.

WOOOOOO!!!! RSN has a new partnership with Bermuda!!! This is big news! NEWS I TELL YOU! HUGE!!!!H!KLHlashlerdlLASKLERKLELKEKLJKLKKJEKJE!!!!

Rob said...

Yes Heidi get on one of those trips so we don't have to have the game in the lower left hand corner and talk to some douche from Bermuda YOU STUPID FUCKING ASS HAT CLOWN DOUCHE FACE IN A CRAFTS STORE.

Patrick said...

DEE EL DICE KAY, CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP

allan said...

eck on dice: "it's really kind of a bad outing..."

Rob said...

Boooooooooo!

Patrick said...

See ya in 15 days, you puke.

Rob said...

I see a big donkey.

Rob said...

NESN stays with the game to show the boos as Dice walks off.

Amy said...

Glad I went to get ice cream instead of staying here and watching DiceK suck again.

Ish, just read your comment about someone else downloading and making the internet slow. Harvey does watch MLB.com for NYY games...could that do it?

allan said...

7-for-16 BABIP-wise tonight: .438

Barth said...

I wonder wheter we just saw Daisuke walk off the mound in a Red Sox uniform for the last time.

Amy said...

DiceK is starting to take on the Timlin/Gagne role in my life as a Red Sox fan. I shudder when he pitches and can barely get myself to watch.

Amy said...

Nice play, Bay!

Rob said...

Wow! That was a great catch there by Bay. Too bad it was a scrotum fly.

And NESN puts their ad graphic over Bay's glove so you couldn't see him actually catch it.

Patrick said...

I wonder what Tazawa is thinking about his idol right now.

allan said...

Red Sox: 2 hits in their last 9 innings.

Rob said...

Amy, yes I think it could slow things down. But just because I think it can doesn't mean it does. Unfortunately it would pose a bit of a conflict for you two as you follow your teams.

His MLB.tv is running fine isn't it?

Patrick said...

Let out a shudder
What just tickled my nutter?
It's just a sac fly.

Rob said...

Anyone else find it funny that the Marlins couldn't play in the rain?

allan said...

email from laura:

subject: see? he does walk!!!!

say hi to the thread for me. i am watching on breaks while folding laundry. cannot join thread tonight, tho.

Amy said...

Actually, Ish, we know things are starting to crash when he can no longer get the ballgame on the computer or starts losing resolution. Usually some time between 9 and 10 pm, things go to hell.

Amy said...

Hi, Laura. Folding laundry may be more satisfying than watching the game tonight.

mattymatty said...

I guess if Dice-K is going to put the team in a giant hole it may as well happen on the same day as our offense not hitting. Ugh... this game sucks shit through a straw.

Rob said...

Amy that doesn't sound good. But what I don't buy is it's just Comcast's high traffic. Yes your speed will go down if you have cable and there's high traffic but it won't go down by that much. Often times you won't even notice it. If it was a Comcast issue then you'd hear of many more people complaining about it, I think. Stupid cop-out answer by the techs eh?

Hmm.

Rob said...

Why couldn't Dice-K have pitched last night?

Amy said...

Yeah, the tech said, "Even I have been having the problem at night." I said, "That's crazy. We live in a much more populous area year round, and we never have this problem."

His suggestion: some superduper cable package for $350 a month. HAHAHA.

So I am waiting to crash again and then figure out what letter to write to Comcast.

Meanwhile, so far so good tonight. But not yet 9 pm.

allan said...

So there is something called Infinite Summer starting this weekend, where thousnads of people all over the world (?) are going to be reading Infinite Jest from June 21 to September 22 (75 pages a week).

I still cannot decide if I want to do it. I fear getting caught up in the many blogs/boards discussing it and having it suck away my time.

If there was no baseball this summer, it would be an easy choice.

Maybe I'll read it over the winter, but then the community won't be there.

Arrrgh.

mattymatty said...

Hey everyone, look who's pitching. it's Masturbate!

allan said...

yook.

Rob said...

Yoooook! That was a cool play.

allan said...

damn, yook shoulda tried for his second unassisted DP of the night

mattymatty said...

So, question for the thread: what do we do with Dice-K?

Amy said...

75 pages a week doesn't sound too onerous, especially since you have read it several times already, IIRC. So you just have to limit your time on the blogs/chat. I'd go for it. You can always stop if it gets overwhelming.

Patrick said...

burn him!

Amy said...

You don't want to hear what I would do to DiceK.

Rob said...

I think we leave him in the rotation with the question remaining forever of what do we do for him.

Seems like we've been asking this forever anyways.

My honest opinion is I think he should see a sports psychologist who might be able to get him into the right mindset because HE DOES HAVE THE STUFF.

He just seems like he feels he has to outsmart everyone and that he is smarter than everyone. That whatever he does he is outsmarting them.

But tonight was it just me or did it seem like his velocity was down?

Zenslinger said...

I wonder wheter we just saw Daisuke walk off the mound in a Red Sox uniform for the last time.

Why would this be the case?

allan said...

yeah, it's not bad. though one of those 75 pages may have an endnote that goes on for another 40 pages at the back of the book!

and there are so many places discussing it, i would just poke around at the main website, i think.

anyone else wanna read it?

Rob said...

Amy's got a thing for Japanese guys.

allan said...

if most of the people reading IJ this summer have not done so -- that seems to be the point, this is your chance to do it -- they are not going to offer much in the way of insight

maybe i could just read and enjoy the book myself!

BAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy said...

Bay dong!! We are on the board!

Rob said...

It's always sunny in Thunder Bay! They love their doungs and homres.

Patrick said...

Honestly, I think Daisuke needs a month off from pitching. That arm has ton of miles, and needs some rest...

Bay, more like an oasis.

allan said...

there is a RH dong, where is the LH?

allan said...

bay has:

looked at 4 balls
looked at 1 strike
swung at two pitches: 2B, HR

mattymatty said...

JB! (MLB.tv is like three batters behind y'all)

allan said...

i'm watching mlbtv.

??

mattymatty said...

I'll answer my own question about Dice-K: I'd DL him. I know that probably wouldn't be popular with him, but these beatings just can't continue. He's been terrible each and every start, and there are too many good pitchers waiting for a turn for the Red Sox to just get their butts kicked every fifth day.

mattymatty said...

Red Sock: I guess my MLB.tv is three batters behind everyone else.

allan said...

bard up

Rob said...

Things have gotten very quiet at Fenway.

Rob said...

Mrs. Garret being Mrs. Garret

allan said...

fuckin mrs garrett

allan said...

L:

Amy,
I am watching the game *when* I am folding laundry. And I am folding laundry on breaks from transcribing grueling testimony of an Iraq War deserter. I have been doing this since 7:30 this morning.
:(

***

mattymatty said...

Wow, what a rotten game.

allan said...

feels like we're just playing out the string of this one.

***

leaning against IJ. i have other things i'd like to do this summer -- and i think i'd enjoy it more in the off-season.

Amy said...

Transcribing since 7:30 this morning?? My hand gets cramps after typing for an hour. Yikes.

The game IS better than that.

Barth said...

Eck, obviously, did a good job on Daisuke. There is this Japanese guys in their third year in the major leagues thing (Nomo, etc.) but what has stood out since we first saw him in our uniform is his refusal to throw the ball over the plate. Once hitters realized this, they would take his pitches, get him in a hole and then hit the vaunted fastball. This is not major league pitching.

To have hm pich this way, while Buchholz is wasting pitches in PawSox games is really infair to the Red Sox major league team.

Amy said...

It does feel like there is no one expecting the Red Sox to come back in this game.

Barth said...

I meant, of course, unfair, but infair might work, too.

Rob said...

Bard has a tendency to lose one up and in once in awhile.

Amy said...

I don't remember the last time a game thread was this dead. Must be a reflection of how dead the Sox seem. They must hate playing when DiceK starts.

Amy said...

Derek Lowe pitching tomorrow? OK, that should be interesting.

allan said...

game eck was talking about versus clemens was may 6, 1987.

it was his 9th game of the year and just like he said, his first start after being in the pen.

he said he went 6.2 and got an L

he went 6.1 and got an L

eck > morgan

Rob said...

Morgan: I did not...have...sexual...relations with that woman.

allan said...

last chance, sox.

Amy said...

At least we are out of our misery soon.

allan said...

Morgan: I did not...have...sexual...relations with that woman.

white water.

Amy said...

Clean water. Yuck.

tim said...

What a pitiful game. This man cannot continue to pitch like this. Something needs to happen, but I don't know what it is. (Do you, Mr. Jones?)

DL and Pawsox rehab stint seems the most reasonable, sticking him in pen seems less rational but I could see it - it may piss off Japan though.

But really, the man is a professional athlete, and with the way he's performed, he should be ecstatic with any decision the front office makes that doesn't involve a shotgun and out back.