Dice-K just can't get it done
for the Sox
October 15, 2007
...
It is his custom to wait, when he is being taken out of the game, for
a reliever to arrive from the bullpen, so Daisuke Matsuzaka's
discomfort was there for all the world to see as he stood there
helplessly, before a swarm of towel-waving Indians fans in Jacobs
Field, as Mike Timlin jogged in. The ball was already in the hands of
manager Terry Francona. The game, though it still was just the fifth
inning, was firmly in the grip of the Indians, who went on to beat
the Red Sox, 4-2, to take a two-games-to-one lead in their American
League Championship Series before a crowd of 44,402.
Kenny
Lofton, who at age 40 was brought back to Cleveland for a third go-round with
the Tribe, hit a two-run home run in the second inning, his first since
returning to the Indians in late July. The Indians strung together two singles,
a wild pitch, a walk, and a force play to score twice more in the fifth. The
Sox, meanwhile, failed to score despite loading the bases with no outs in the
second, Varitek popping out on a backup cutter and Coco Crisp hitting into one
of three double plays induced by Indians starter Jake Westbrook. The Sox, who
also hit into three double plays in Game 2, have hit into seven double plays in
the first three games, the most ever by any team in the first three games of an
LCS.
How hard did
Matsuzaka, who was charged with all four Indians runs, take this one? Long after
the game, he was still in uniform, sitting in front of his locker, alternately
staring blankly ahead or covering his face with his pitching hand.
Until J.D.
Drew singled and Varitek followed with a home run with one out in the seventh,
the Sox had been outscored, 12-0, since the fifth inning of Game 2. The Sox were
shut down by the Indians' bullpen for the last 6 2/3 innings of Game 2, and
rookie Jensen Lewis, the communications major from Vanderbilt who quelled a Sox
uprising in Game 2 by coming in and throwing a double play ball to Varitek,
entered last night and struck out Dustin Pedroia with Julio Lugo aboard on a
two-out infield hit to end the seventh. The Sox haven't had any success against
Lewis since Brandon Moss took him deep last year in Game 4 of the Eastern League
playoffs, when Lewis was still pitching for the Akron Aeros. They fared no
better against Rafael Betancourt (1 inning, 1 K) and Joe Borowski, who went
three-up, three-down for the save, which gives him one more in this series than
Jonathan Papelbon, who on paper gives the Sox their biggest advantage.
In addition
to the three DPs, Westbrook was abetted by a base-running blunder by David
Ortiz, who was struck by a batted ball as he tried to advance in the fourth.
Ortiz grounded into a double play with Kevin Youkilis aboard on a walk in the
first. The Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the second, but Varitek flied to
shallow left and Crisp bounced into a double play. Ortiz opened the fourth with
a double, but he foolishly tried to advance on a ground ball hit by Manny
Ramirez that was in front of him. Ramirez, who batted .500 here during the
regular season (7 for 14, 2 HRs) and is a career .359 hitter at a ballpark he
used to call home, grounded into a double play with two on and one out in the
sixth.
Lofton, who
was in his first term with the Indians when Ramirez broke in with the club in
1994, had not hit a home run this season since he went deep in his last game as
a Ranger, on July 25.
But with two
out and Garko aboard on a single in the second, Lofton hit the first pitch he
saw from Matsuzaka into the right-field seats, just over the yellow line and
just above Drew's glove. It was the seventh first-pitch home run allowed by
Matsuzaka this season, the most he has allowed on any count.
Acquired for
the price of $103 million last winter, Matsuzaka won 15 games in his rookie
season, but has failed to finish the fifth inning in either of his playoff
appearances. The tumbling Dice Man is on schedule to pitch Game 7 against the
Indians at Fenway if the series goes the limit. It was a perfect 69 degrees at
Jacobs Field at game time with no midges (tiny flying insects which disrupted
the Yankees in the Division Series) in sight.
