Boston Red Sox’s Daisuke Matsuzaka grabs his first win of 2012 season – MLB Update
Boston Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine will be very pleased with what he saw from starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka in the finale of a four match series against the Kansas City Royals.
It was Matsuzaka’s first win in over a year and credit should be given to him for showing great composure and determination on Monday, August 27. Striking-out six batters, the starter created all sorts of problems for the Royals’ offence to grab his first
win of the season.
The right hander delivered a blast from the past to help the Red Sox secure a comfortable 3-1 series victory at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Overall, he gave up just five hits and a run in seven solid innings to help his team establish complete
control over the contest.
His heroic effort also improved his ERA to 5.10 and it will be interesting to see if he can deliver similar results on his next appearance to cement his place on Boston’s big league roster.
"I tried back in June and I didn't get the results I wanted. I didn't feel like I'd be able to come back strong again this season," he said through a translator. "I went back to my final two rehab starts and threw the ball really well."
"When I had to go back on the DL in July it was very disappointing, especially when I didn't expect my body to react the way it did," he said. "But the encouraging part was it wasn't my elbow. I didn't know if I'd be able to come back strong this year."
Relief pitchers Clayton Mortensen, Vicente Padilla and Andre Bailey combined to pitched two scoreless innings. Jacoby Ellsbury and Cody Ross drove in crucial runs to play a key role in deciding the outcome of the clash.
Red Sox may be out of the playoff race, they will be hoping to identify the right hitting and pitching combinations before the end of the season. Surely, Matsuzaka has improved his chances of becoming a permanent part of Red Sox’s pitching rotations after
returning from the disabled list.
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