ISO: Swagger, Mojo
Call it workmanlike, stoic, or boring. Daisuke Matsuzaka doesn’t have the fire we saw this spring. Maybe he’s been humbled a bit by the best hitters in the world or the cultural adjustment has worn, but something is missing. I can’t complain about the results on Wednesday, or any start thus far. But I’m looking for something more. My buddy Eric’s take: “He pitches like Pedro, but without the chip on his shoulder.” Is that what I loved so much about Pedro?
I’ve been lulled to sleep by this starting rotation. Beyond their vanilla personalities, they’ve been so good that each win seems like the expected outcome and each loss a terrible surprise. Well, Julian Tavarez has been neither awesome nor boring, so I guess that’s why I look forward to his starts more than say, Josh Beckett’s. If wins are expected, they simply aren’t as fun.
Pedro was fun to watch because he brought the best to their knees, but he was so fragile that at any moment his shoulder could explode and his season would be over. Daisuke has some attitude, but it’s been buried inside for his last three or four appearances. Let the fire out. No one on this staff would think about throwing Don Zimmer to the ground; Pedro didn’t think twice. More importantly, no one on this staff would provoke Don Zimmer.
I’m sure its just because the Red Sox don’t have a challenger in the division at the moment, but I haven’t enjoyed the recent success as much as I should have. Excuse me, when I say “challenger” I should say the Yankees. I need them to be in this race so that I may enjoy the roller coaster that will undoubtedly ensue.
Thursday:
Tim Wakefield (2-3, 2.11, 1.20) at Roy Halladay (4-1, 3.59, 1.06)
Examining the simple stats I’ve listed above reveals some interesting trends. Wakefield has a ERA around 40% lower than Halladay, yet his WHIP is significantly higher. This can either mean he has prevented fewer baserunners from scoring or the defense has been weaker around him, allowing unearned runs. Also, Halladay’s record of 4-1 with a relatively poor ERA suggests he gets better run support, or has allowed his runs in bunches. The former is true, he’s consistently given up 1-3 runs in each start in typical Halladay fashion, and has won because of decent support. We all know Wakefield has gotten poor support and has been arguably best pitcher on the Red Sox. Regardless, this is not a comparison I expected to write in April.
As you might expect, several Jays have faced Wakefield upwards of 30 times. The only number that stands out is Vernon Wells’ .631 OPS. Some guys can’t hit the knuckler, and it appears Vernon is one of them. Ortiz loves hitting Halladay (5 HR, 16 RBI, .932 OPS, 63 ABs), and Lowell has raked (1.326 OPS) in a small sample.
Around the league, Brandon McCarthy faces Chien Ming-Wang in the “Present and Future” game and Tim Hudson goes against David Wells.
Wake’s 3-3
i shortchanged Timmy, Jack is correct. Thanks.
If you ask me, it’s better to boring winners, than the alternative…
I’ll take Beckett’s stoicism over watching him punch the bullpen phone any day.
For me there’s nothing further away from boring than a win. I don’t care if Beckett is the lamest guy to ever walk the planet. He’s 7-0 and on fire. I look forward to every one of his starts.
Much, much better to be a boring winner than an exciting loser.
I think you guys are missing the point. 99 Pedro won, and he won with style.
What are you expecting from Daisuke exactly? IMO, it’s really that the anticipation of watching a hot shot, ace Japanese pitcher has worn off. He’s not acting much differently than he did in the spring, but now that we’ve seen what he brings to the table, it doesn’t seem as exciting.
You’re insane. Rollercoaster teams are only fun when (or if) you win. This team is well constructed. We’ll see the fire in October, hopefully, if we make the postseason.
Amateur….
Amateur….