A bad performance from Daisuke, however, could be devastating for him and the Sox, both in the long and short term.
Fresh off a tidy three-game sweep over the Rays, the Red Sox are rolling, riding a five-game winning streak. Thanks to a sloppy weekend in Texas, the Sox are also holding a comfortable 4 1/2-game lead in the wild-card race. But most — if not all — of that will be forgotten if Daisuke puts up a stinker against Los Angeles.
The first crop of folks affected by an unimpressive start would be the fans. They were the ones who cast boos upon the prized pitcher in his last outing at Fenway, when he allowed five baserunners and two runs in his first inning against the Braves.
So if Daisuke finds himself in a similar situation Tuesday against the Angels, the question needs to be raised: How many times can a “national treasure” get booed in his home park before he’s had enough?
More important than anyone’s feelings, though, is the fact that the team needs someone to trust on the mound as they embark on a stretch of 20 games in 20 days to close the season. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester will be there, but who lies beyond that is still unknown.
Sure, Clay Buchholz in September inspires an immeasurably higher amount of confidence in the team, coaches and fans than did the Clay Buchholz of earlier in the season, but a handful of encouraging starts from the 25-year-old hardly makes him a sure thing.
The rotation after Buchholz is even more of a mystery. Tim Wakefield has been unbelievable all year, but his back could keep him off the field. Paul Byrd, in three starts, has looked very good, very bad and very average. Junichi Tazawa or Michael Bowden could make a start or two, but neither has shown much in the way of consistency.
That’s where Daisuke steps in. Just two days removed from his 29th birthday, Daisuke will climb the hill at Fenway in what is the likeliest ALDS matchup the Red Sox will have. At this point, it’s been a wasted year for the Dice Man, but it can still be saved. With a 1-5 record and 8.23 ERA at this point, his final numbers won’t look good, but a solid September will provide stability to a staff that has a lot of work to do to guarantee a place in October’s final four.
Daisuke has faced tremendous pressure before: His first start for the Red Sox, he went seven innings, allowing one run with 10 strikeouts. In his highly hyped matchup with Ichiro in his second start, he held his fellow countryman to an 0-for-4 night with a strikeout. The World Baseball Classic. The World Series.
Daisuke’s done it all. Tuesday’s start won’t have nearly the same pressure as any of those moments, but it could prove – one way or another – to hold a similar importance.
