Game story: Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 1

By ArtMartone
CSNNE.com

BOSTON -- No one warned him that, you know, this might be it, but Daisuke Matsuzaka felt the pressure.

"If I did pitch badly Monday against the Blue Jays," Matsuzaka said, "I thought there wouldn't be the next chance."

Understandable, considering Matsuzaka's last outing (8 hits and 7 runs in 2-plus innings against the Rays), his 12.86 ERA entering the game, and the fact that he was riding a personal seven-game losing streak that dated back to last Sept. 2.

But Dice-K earned another turn in the rotation -- and then some -- with a brilliant effort Monday. He allowed only two baserunners (one hit, one walk) over seven innings, and retired the last 16 batters he faced in leading the Red Sox to a homestanding-closing 9-1 rout of Toronto.

"He threw a lot of strikes," said manager Terry Francona in approval of Matsuzaka's 89-pitch, 58-strike performance.

Jed Lowrie continued his scalding start to the season by going 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI, and lifted his average back over .500 (to .516). Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury also homered for the Red Sox, who got at least one hit from every starter except Jason Varitek.

Boston took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out, two-run single by Lowrie, increased it to 3-0 in the third on David Ortiz' RBI single, and the rout was on. Lowrie's two-run homer in the fifth made it 5-0, Youkilis' two-run homer in the sixth made it 7-0, and the Sox added additional runs in the sixth (RBI double by Carl Crawford) and seventh (homer by Ellsbury).

Player of the Game:
Daisuke Matsuzaka

"So the time between the last game and today's game, I had time to think about it and tried to think more simple and I tried to think simple in practice and as I was getting ready for today's game."

At least that was the interpreter's version of Daisuke Matsuzaka's postgame self-assessment.

Somewhere in that garble was an explanation of how Matsuzaka became a totally different pitcher than the one who'd been strafed by the Rays for eight hits and seven runs in two-plus innings last Monday night. He needed just 89 pitches to get through seven innings, actually had a five-pitch inning (!), and -- in the strangest stat of all -- managed to slice his ERA exactly in half, from 12.86 to 6.43.

All because he "tried to think simple in practice and as I was getting ready for today's game."

Honorable Mention:
Jed Lowrie
The Boston Jed Sox? With each passing day, it becomes less and less far-fetched. Lowrie's 4-for-5, 4-RBI performance Monday lifted his average back over .500, to .516, and he tied career highs with both the four hits and the four RBI. He's now hit safely in seven straight games, at a .625 (15-for-24) pace.

The Goat:

Jason VaritekTim Wakefield

You have to search far and wide for one on a day like this -- at least on the Red Sox' side -- and one of the only players who might qualify is Jason Varitek. He was the lone member of the starting lineup who didn't get a hit, dropping his average from .077 to .063.

Also in the mix: Tim Wakefield, who lost the shutout when he surrendered a solo home run to Yunel Escobar during his mopup appearance in the ninth and has now been scored upon in four of his six outings this year . . . even though none has lasted more than 3 13 innings.

The Turning Point:

Lowrie's first-inning single

J.D. Drew opened the bottom of the first with a triple off the center-field wall and Dustin Pedroia followed with a walk, giving the Sox runners at the corners, nobody out, and the heart of the order coming to the plate. But both Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis struck out against Ricky Romero, and the Sox -- who've hardly been world-beaters with runners in scoring position this season -- were facing the deadly "squander" (hat tip, Joe Castiglione).

But a walk to David Ortiz kept the inning alive and brought up the one Red Sox hitter who hasn't squandered anything in 2011: Jed Lowrie. He spiked a single to right field that scored Drew and Pedroia, gave the Sox a 2-0 lead against the Jays' ace, and ignited what would be a glorious afternoon for Boston.

By the Numbers:
7

The average number of runs per outing the Sox have scored during their (admittedly modest) three-game winning streak. It's almost double the 3.8 runs per game they were scoring when they started the season at 2-10.

Quote of Note:

"One thing that was a little shocking was before the game he got booed. It's funny how he came off the field, everyone was cheering. It's kind of foot-in-the-mouth right there, but it's good how he responded to that, too."

-- Kevin Youkilis, on how the crowd responded to Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Art Martone can be reached at amartone@comcastsportsnet.com.