G54: Red Sox 6, Athletics 4

Athletics - 300 000 001 - 4 12  0
Red Sox   - 200 020 11x - 6 10  0

After a questionable out call at first base to begin the game, Matsuzaka gave up a double, another double, and a home run. After only 12 pitches, Boston trailed 3-0.

But then -- just like the old saw about Tim Wakefield getting it back as quickly as he lost it -- Dice settled down. He scattered a handful of singles over the next 5+ innings and the Red Sox bats took the lead.

In the bottom of the first, Marco Scutaro singled and David Ortiz doubled off the Wall. Kevin Youkilis singled them both in and it was 3-2. Darnell McDonald opened the fifth with a double and Ortiz smoked a two-out dong to right. Boston led 4-3.

With two outs in the seventh, Dice hit a batter and allowed a single, but Daniel Bard got out of the 1st/3rd jam by striking out Kurt Suzuki. Bard then pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. In the meantime, Scutaro and Dustin Pedroia hit back-to-back doubles (FY's 1st RBI in more than two weeks) in the seventh and Scuatro blooped an RBI single into left center in the eighth.

Jonathan Papelbon gave up a solo home run in the ninth, but got the save.

In addition to his double and dong, Flo walked twice. Scutaro had three hits. McDonald had two hits and a walk. J.D. Drew tripled to start the sixth, but watched in dismay as the next three hitters all popped out.

In Toronto, the Blue Jays shit the chambre for the second night in a row, blowing a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning and losing to the Rays 7-3. The worthless Jays dropped behind the Red Sox with the loss. The Yankees beat the Orioles 9-1.

Ben Sheets / Daisuke Matsuzaka

Scutaro, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Youkilis, 1B
Drew, RF
Beltre, 3B
Hermida, LF
Varitek, C
McDonald, CF

Dice's last four starts:

              IP   H   R  BB   K   PIT
0511 vs TOR   7    3   1   0   9   116
0517 at NYY   4.2  9   7   3   3   105
0522 at PHI   8    1   0   4   5   112
0527 vs KCR   4.2  2   3   8   1   112

B-Ref ranks Matsuzaka's 79 major league starts by Game Score. His six 2010 starts are ranked: 71, 61, 6, 77, 3, 57.

So in between two of his top six starts, he throws just about his worst game ever. Who knows wtf we'll see tonight?

Sheets starts (via PA):

           IP    H  ER  BB   K  HR    ERA
First 6:  30.1  42  24  16  16   6   7.12
Last 5:   32.0  22  10  13  35   1   2.81

Orioles/Yankees
Rays/Blue Jays

June 2 in Baseball History

1935: Babe Ruth announces his retirement.

1943: The Red Sox and Browns play their fourth consecutive extra-inning game (doubleheaders on May 31 and June 2). Boston will set a record with 31 extra-inning games in one season.

1995: John Valentin goes 5-for-5, with three home runs, becoming the first shortstop in history to have 15 total bases in one game.