On a day that Daisuke Matsuzaka had some of his best stuff of the year a pitchers' duel turns into a near-rout in no time. Credit on that end can go to the Boston bullpen, which was far and away the worst aspect of the 10-game road trip.
Over the final four games of the voyage Red Sox relievers gave up 11 runs in eight innings and allowed several more inherited runners to come in, including two of Matsuzaka's on the three-run homer surrendered by Manny Delcarmen.
The good news? On Tuesday, Clay Buchholz will be on the mound and Dustin Pedroia will be at second base. Sounds like a good recipe for some home cooking.
First pitch of the Red Sox-Angels opener is 7:10 p.m. and we will be following all the action for you high above home plate.
Final, Rangers 7-3: It started with a bang and ended with a whimper. The Red Sox finish a long road trip at 5-5 and head back home five games out in the wild card race.
Credit C.J. Wilson for dominating the Sox once again and the Rangers for jumping all over the beleagured Boston bullpen. While four runs were charged to Daisuke Matsuzaka he nearly matched Wilson throughout.
After playing three straight in 100-degree heat Boston gets a much-needed day off before starting a nine-game homestand Tuesday vs. LA.
Back in a bit with some postgame reaction.
End 8th, Rangers 7-3: A hit batter, a throwing error and three straight singles give the Rangers two insurance runs with two outs in the eighth. This was a 1-0 game to start the bottom of the seventh.
Dustin Richardson and Michael Bowden teamed to hurt the Red Sox' chances in the inning. Richardson hit Josh Hamilton to start the inning. After striking out two batters, Bowden threw away a pickoff attempt and then surrendered all of the hits.
Mid 8th, Rangers 5-3: I typed these words about C.J. Wilson roughly two hours ago: "You get the sense that the Red Sox won't have much of an opportunity until they can get him out of the game." Call me Nostradamus.
The moment Wilson leaves things fall apart for the Rangers in the eighth. Marco Scutaro drives in Eric Patterson with a double and then Darnell McDonald slugs his seventh home run of the season to cut the deficit to two.
Victor Martinez strikes out to end it and the Sox will have to try to rally against Neftali Feliz in the ninth.
5:25 p.m.: It takes a weak infield single off of his glove to end the afternoon for C.J. Wilson. He leaves with two outs in the eighth and Eric Patterson on first.
End 7th, Rangers 5-0: The moment I hit "submit" to fire off the previous blog post Manny Delcarmen serves up a three-run homer to Michael Young to break this one open.
It was a changeup that Delcarmen left a bit up and Young crushed it to center.
Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched much better than his line will suggest. He gives up four runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. Not even a quality start, but we know it was.
5:13 p.m.: On a scorching day unlike any he has likely pitched in before, Daisuke Matsuzaka throws more pitches (116) than he has in any start since May 22, 2008. The cracks start to show in the seventh and he is taken out trailing 2-0.
Matsuzaka was still pretty strong and the Rangers' second run came in on a beautiful drag bunt by Julio Borbon, but a hard single by Elvis Andrus chases him.
Manny Delcarmen is on with two on and two outs.
Mid 7th, Rangers 1-0: We are all waiting for C.J. Wilson to wilt in the heat, but it has yet to happen. His 101st pitch of the afternoon finishes his third 1-2-3 inning and his second in a row.
Wilson threw at least 102 pitches in 13 straight starts from mid-May to the end of July. Since he's not even there yet you have to figure he has at least one more inning in him.
End 6th, Rangers 1-0: This may be Daisuke Matsuzaka's best outing in terms of his ability to dominate with everything. In some games he has had a very good fastball, in others good off-speed stuff. He has put everything together in this one.
Matsuzaka hit Josh Hamilton with a pitch with two outs but managed to strike out the side in the inning. He has eight strikeouts, one shy of a season high.
Mid 6th, Rangers 1-0: Ho hum. Another 1-2-3 inning for C.J. Wilson. You get the sense that the Red Sox won't have much of an opportunity until they can get him out of the game.
End 5th, Rangers 1-0: Daisuke Matsuzaka is making me eat my words about having another short start. With excellent off-speed stuff he has managed to strike out five and throw only 74 pitches through five.
Matsuzaka has faced the minimum since the end of the second inning.
Second straight day that we have a pretty good duel going on, all on the heels of the slugfest on Friday night. It's a hard game to figure.
Mid 5th, Rangers 1-0: C.J. Wilson just has their number. He gives up a leadoff single to Bill Hall in the top of the fifth but is out of the inning in a heartbeat on a double play and his seventh strikeout.
Wilson has now given up one run in 18 1/3 innings vs. Boston in 2010.
End 4th, Rangers 1-0: The Rangers have had the leadoff man on in each of the last three innings, but in the fourth Jorge Cantu is out trying to stretch a single into a double. Daisuke Matsuzaka gets the next two outs in quick fashion and is through four with a pitch count of 63.
The Yankees were just two-hit by Bryan Bullington and one reliever in Kansas City. Both hits were singles.
Bullington is a former No. 1 pick of the Pirates who never panned out. He finds a way eight years after being drafted to factor into the AL East race.
As of this moment Boston is six games behind New York in the loss column.
Mid 4th, Rangers 1-0: C.J. Wilson's career high for strikeouts is 10, accomplished against the Red Sox less than a month ago. He has six already in this one.
Adrian Beltre did rip a double with one down in the fourth but never got past third.
End 3rd, Rangers 1-0: A leadoff single by Michael Young seemed to signal another long inning for Daisuke Matsuzaka. But he gets one out on a deep fly to right and then two on a pretty double play off the bat of Josh Hamilton.
Mid 3rd, Rangers 1-0: C.J. Wilson strikes out two in the third and has five strikeouts already. He has now allowed one run in 16 1/3 innings vs. the Red Sox this year.
End 2nd, Rangers 1-0: We mentioned Daisuke Matsuzaka's tendency for short starts of late, even when he's been good. Between the heat, a good Rangers lineup and a second inning in which he threw 24 pitches, it's hard to see him lasting very long in this one.
Matsuzaka gives up two walks and a single and sees the game's first run come in on a sacrifice fly to center. Ryan Kalish had no play at home but made a sensational throw to third to at least make the play there one worth watching. He has an absolute gun.
I'm not positive but I think Jorge Cantu said to Adrian Beltre when he got to third base in the inning, "I'm sweating my (donkey) off." Lip-reader's delight.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: Ryan Kalish strikes out to end the top of the second inning but he put up a good fight on a very difficult lefty. Kalish was down 0-2 but made it into a 10-pitch at-bat before C.J. Wilson blew one by him.
Anything to help bump up a pitcher's pitch count on a day like this has to help. Wilson has thrown 39 through two.
End 1st, 0-0: This is pure speculation and much more has to happen before it's a reality, but there is a chance we have seen the torch passed in center field for the Red Sox.
If Jacoby Ellsbury is done for the year, and possibly moves on via trade at some point, and if Mike Cameron is not a factor until 2011 and even then plays in a more limited role, then Ryan Kalish may begin to slowly assume the duties in center.
It is one inning into his career out there but Kalish gave us a nice early glimpse of what he can do with a catch up against the wall in the bottom of the first.
The snag helps Daisuke Matsuzaka get around a single in the first.
Mid 1st, 0-0: C.J. Wilson works around a one-out single in the top of the first inning and we get our first few sightings of shirtless guys in the crowd. Best to avert your eyes.
A couple of notes on the Red Sox starters. Ryan Kalish played center field more than any other outfield position while in the minors, so this installment in center is nothing new. He will split time there with Darnell McDonald, who singled in the first, and Eric Patterson for the foreseeable future.
Also, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is a .213 hitter in his career against lefties, compared to .274 vs. right-handers. His on-base percentage while batting from the right side is 80 points lower than it is from the left side. So he is batting Sunday from the weaker half of the plate.
2:48 p.m.: Michael Young just told NESN's Heidi Watney that in his 10 years in Texas he has never played in conditions as hot as those on the field Sunday. Should be interesting to see if, when and how guys are affected by a heat index of 110 degrees.
2:37 p.m.: There has been talk of Daisuke Matsuzaka's resurgence of late, and with good reason. He's been one of the team's top pitchers for a solid two months. But what he has not been is a guy who lasts very long.
Matsuzaka has finished at least seven innings just once in his last nine starts. He went no further than six innings in seven of those outings and failed to finish the sixth three times, including his 5 2/3-inning at Toronto five days ago.
This is another reason why Jon Lester's start was extremely clutch. Had he not spared the bullpen on Saturday night we might not have everyone available. It's almost a given that Matsuzaka on a steaming afternoon in Texas will not last very long.
The heat index is 110 degrees.
1:38 p.m.: If you're a fan of Seinfeld like myself you might be familiar with the episode where Elaine begins to suffer a series of problems, from work to relationships, while George keeps getting lucky. Meanwhile, Jerry continues to break even in everything in life. Kramer calls Jerry "Even Steven."
I think of Jerry's situation each time I see Terry Francona in the Red Sox' dugout during this never-ending string of nail-biters. As players all around him are up when they come back from injury and then down when they, well, go down, Francona has to maintain an even keel.
Even if he is frustrated with the constant shuffling of personnel and the constant stream of one-run games and bullpen collapses and paltry offensive efforts, Francona cannot show it. Outwardly he is the Red Sox' version of "Even Steven," a demeanor which has helped his players stay on course.
On Sunday we have Dustin Pedroia in his second rehab game at Pawtucket. He is the DH and 0-for-1 as I type this. We also have Jed Lowrie still sidelined by the effects of heat exhaustion, which he suffered on Friday night, when it was "cooler" than Sunday's 110-degree heat index.
Mike Cameron and Jason Varitek continue to work their way back, David Ortiz and J.D. Drew are given a needed day off against a tough lefty and the squad presses on without Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury. Francona? Even Steven.
Here is the Rangers lineup:
Elvis Andrus, SS
Michael Young, 3B
David Murphy, LF
Josh Hamilton, DH
Jorge Cantu, 1B
Mitch Moreland, RF
Taylor Teagarden, C
Andres Blanco, 2B
Julio Borbon, CF
12:15 p.m.: The Red Sox' lineup will feature a new outfield configuration with Jacoby Ellsbury back on the DL and J.D. Drew getting a day off against a very tough lefty. C.J. Wilson's presence will also give David Ortiz a day off. Here is the starting nine:
Marco Scutaro, SS
Darnell McDonald, RF
Victor Martinez, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Mike Lowell, DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Bill Hall, 2B
Ryan Kalish, CF
Eric Patterson, LF
9 a.m.: The Red Sox secured a 6-4 record on a 10-game road trip last month, a successful result that allowed them to keep their heads above water.
They can finish the second 10-gamer with an identical record if they can pull off a win Sunday afternoon in Texas. All this against two first-place teams and the best slugging squad in the majors.
Boston rebounded from back-to-back difficult losses to post a 3-1 victory over the Rangers on Saturday. Jon Lester threw eight scoreless innings as the Red Sox remained four games behind Tampa Bay in the race for the wild card.
Daisuke Matsuzaka pitches opposite Texas lefty C.J. Wilson, who has defeated Boston twice this year.
First pitch is 3:05 p.m. and it is expected to be well over 100 degrees at the time.
