Final
Matsuzaka aims to get back on track for first-place Red Sox
Sep 3, 2007 - 1:02 PM Toronto (70-66) at Boston (82-55) 7:05 pm EDTBOSTON (Ticker) - The Boston Red Sox are heading in the right direction. But rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka is not.
Matsuzaka looks to win for the first time in nearly a month as the first-place Red Sox open a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Monday night.
Boston won two out of three against the Baltimore Orioles this weekend, highlighted by rookie Clay Buchholz's no-hitter on Saturday night. The series win helped the Red Sox hold on to the best record in the major leagues and increase their bulge to six games over the New York Yankees (76-61) in the American League East.
But Boston, which has won six out of its last 10, will look to get Matsuzaka back on track.
In his first season from Japan, Matsuzaka (13-11, 3.88 ERA( was heralded as the one of the world's premier hurlers after winning the the MVP of the World Baseball Classic in March 2006. But the righthander has only shown flashes of that brilliance in his first major league season.
He has not won since August 4 and has allowed 13 runs and 16 hits in 18 1/3 frames while striking out 15 and walking 10 in his last three starts. However, he is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in three outings against the Blue Jays this season.
Toronto will counter with fellow rookie Jesse Litsch (5-6, 3.40), who tossed 6 2/3 effective innings in a 2-1 win against the Red Sox on July 15, allowing one run and nine hits while striking out two and walking one.
He did not figure in the decision in his last start, yielding two runs and four hits in six frames while striking out three and walking one in a 5-4 loss at Oakland on Tuesday.
The Blue Jays, who have won five out of six overall, completed a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners this weekend.
- AL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TORONTO 1 0 0 0 0 8 1 0 0 10 16 1
BOSTON 3 0 2 5 0 3 0 0 x 13 16 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: TOR - JESSE LITSCH, JOE KENNEDY (4TH), JOSH TOWERS (5TH), JASON
FRASOR (6TH), BRIAN TALLET (7TH) AND GREGG ZAUN
BOS - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA, JAVIER LOPEZ (6TH), MANNY
Sep 3 11:07 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY GREGG ZAUN SCORED TROY GLAUS.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, G ZAUN ON SECOND, A HILL ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 10
BOSTON 13 TOP, 7TH
DUE UP FOR TORONTO: R OLMEDO (.263, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 10:08 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
BALK BY JASON FRASOR ALLOWED JASON VARITEK TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, J LUGO ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 9
BOSTON 13 BOTTOM, 6TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J ELLSBURY (.423, 2-FOR-3, BB)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 9:50 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE BY COCO CRISP SCORED J.D. DREW.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J VARITEK ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 9
BOSTON 12 BOTTOM, 6TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: E HINSKE (.217, 1-FOR-2, HBP)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 9:43 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JASON VARITEK SCORED MIKE LOWELL.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J VARITEK ON FIRST, J DREW ON THIRD, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 9
BOSTON 11 BOTTOM, 6TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: C CRISP (.266, 1-FOR-3)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 9:38 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY ALEX RIOS SCORED VERNON WELLS.
SITUATION: 8 RUNS IN, M STAIRS ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 9
BOSTON 10 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR TORONTO: F THOMAS (.270, 1-FOR-3, RBI)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 9:29 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND RULE DOUBLE BY MATT STAIRS SCORED GREGG ZAUN AND
ADAM LIND.
SITUATION: 7 RUNS IN, M STAIRS ON SECOND, V WELLS ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 8
BOSTON 10 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR TORONTO: A RIOS (.311, 2-FOR-3, RBI)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 9:26 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ADAM LIND SCORED LYLE OVERBAY.
SITUATION: 5 RUNS IN, A LIND ON FIRST, G ZAUN ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 6
BOSTON 10 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR TORONTO: V WELLS (.253, 0-FOR-3)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 9:22 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY TROY GLAUS (19) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 6TH OFF DAISUKE MATSUZAKA SCORED ALEX RIOS AND FRANK THOMAS.
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 5, BOSTON 10
DUE UP FOR TORONTO: L OVERBAY (.249, 0-FOR-2)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 9:11 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY FRANK THOMAS SCORED MATT STAIRS.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, F THOMAS ON FIRST, A RIOS ON SECOND, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 2
BOSTON 10 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR TORONTO: T GLAUS (.259, 1-FOR-2)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 9:06 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY J.D. DREW SCORED DAVID ORTIZ.
SITUATION: 5 RUNS IN, M LOWELL ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 1
BOSTON 10 BOTTOM, 4TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J VARITEK (.257, 0-FOR-2)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 8:33 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
ERROR BY TROY GLAUS ALLOWED JACOBY ELLSBURY AND DUSTIN
PEDROIA TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, M LOWELL ON FIRST, D ORTIZ ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 1
BOSTON 9 BOTTOM, 4TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J DREW (.254, 0-FOR-1, SF, RBI)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 8:32 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY DUSTIN PEDROIA SCORED ERIC HINSKE AND JULIO LUGO.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, D PEDROIA ON FIRST, J ELLSBURY ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 1
BOSTON 7 BOTTOM, 4TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: D ORTIZ (.317, 0-FOR-1, SF, RBI)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 8:27 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY J.D. DREW SCORED DUSTIN PEDROIA.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, M LOWELL ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 1
BOSTON 5 BOTTOM, 3RD
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J VARITEK (.258, 0-FOR-1)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 7:59 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY DAVID ORTIZ SCORED JACOBY ELLSBURY.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, D PEDROIA ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 1
BOSTON 4 BOTTOM, 3RD
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: M LOWELL (.331, 1-FOR-1, HR, 3 RBI)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 7:57 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY MIKE LOWELL (18) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 1ST OFF JESSE LITSCH SCORED JACOBY ELLSBURY AND DUSTIN
PEDROIA.
CURRENT SCORE: TORONTO 1, BOSTON 3
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J DREW (.254, 7 HR, 46 RBI)
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 7:27 PM - AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TORONTO 1 1 2 0
BOSTON 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: TOR - JESSE LITSCH
BOS - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J ELLSBURY (.391, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
D PEDROIA (.324, 6 HR, 42 RBI)
D ORTIZ (.318, 26 HR, 93
Blue Jays vs. Red SoxSep 3 7:18 PM
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