"It's always tough when you've got a burner like that, a fast runner," the lefty told The Los Angeles Times, "because it's almost a guarantee that they're going to score that run if he's on first base with no outs."
For Kazmir, planning ahead is a good thing, especially after looking at some of the numbers in the story:
- The Red Sox win 75 percent of the games in which Ellsbury scores a run.
- The Red Sox are 73-41 when Ellsbury has a hit.
- When Ellsbury doesn't have a hit, the Sox lose more than 60 percent of the time.
"Just because he's either going to steal or he'll just stay at first base and drive a pitcher crazy," Kazmir explained. "Your attention is split with Ellsbury. Then you've got an All-Star hitter up."
That's the truth, too, as Ellsbury is followed by Dustin Pedroia (two-time All-Star), Victor Martinez (three-time All-Star), Kevin Youkilis (two-time All-Star) and Jason Bay (three-time All-Star).
Kazmir, who owns an 8-7 record and 3.59 ERA in 23 appearances against the Red Sox, won't have to deal with the speedster until Sunday, but Ellsbury gets his first crack at leaving his mark on this series on Thursday.
