Sox Lose Another Winnable Game

Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched his best game as a Red Sox yesterday, giving up one run on 3 hits, in 8 innings pitched. Matsuzaka walked just one batter and struck out 8. Daisuke received a no decision in a 2-1 loss after receiving no help from his offense.

The Red Sox offense was truly pathetic. They could not manufacture any runs against Mariners starter Brian Feierabend, a soft tossing lefty who entered the game with a 1-2 record and an 8.20 ERA. Their only run came on a sacrifice fly by Coco Crisp, which was created by a throwing error.

Boston had a great opportunity to break open a 1-1 tie in the 7th inning with David Ortiz stepping to the plate with one out and men on second and third. George Sherill got Ortiz to fly out, but Boston still had a chance with Manny Ramirez coming up to bat. Manny was overpowered by reliever Brandon Morrow and the Red Sox were done. The tie lasted until the bottom of the 11th when Joel Piniero (Cringe) came in and gave up a game winning double to Jose Lopez.

Red Sox Notes

- If your two best players are not coming through in key situations you are not going to win. Rotoworld made the perfect comment about Manny and Ortiz:

Think about what kind of record the Red Sox might have right now if their two best hitters ever came through in big situations. David Ortiz is has just one RBI in 31 at-bats in close-and-late situations this season, and Manny is hitting .233 with four RBI in 30 at-bats. Ortiz's struggles are probably a fluke. Manny, though, is frequently being overpowered by top relievers. It's a definitely cause for concern.

-The Sox need to come out strong on Friday against Texas starter Jamey Wirght. On the season, Wright is 1-1 with a 7.43 ERA. If they do not rock Wright, I might have to smash my TV with a baseball bat.

- Look on the bright side guys. Even after being swept the Sox have the best record in baseball and 9 games up on second place Toronto. The Yankees are even further behind at 11 games back.

- Has Daisuke finally arrived? Matsuzaka finished June with a 2-2 record and a 1.59 ERA. His season ERA dropped by more than a point from 4.83 to 3.80. The Dice Man has only received 7 runs of support in his last 6 starts.

- I have realized that the key to beating the Red Sox is to put a soft tossing lefty on the mound. Chuck James, Lenny Dinardo and Brian Feirebend have all stymied the Sox this season.

RANDOM NOTES

- If you are a Minor League Baseball fan or just an avid follower of Red Sox prospects you should play MILB Beat the Streak, a fantasy game at MILB.com. Each day you pick one Minor League player that you think will get a hit. If the player gets a hit, you start to build a streak. If the player fails to get a hit your streak ends and you start all over. The person with the longest streak by the end of the season will receive tickets to a Minor League baseball game of the choice and a $250 shopping spree at MLB.com.

- A's DH, Jack Cust after a monster start to his season cooled of for a little while. He is smashing the ball again with four home runs in his last five games. Check out an interesting article on Cust at The Hardball Times.

- Tomorrow, I am going to start a Prospect Profile segment. Each week I will take a closer look at a Red Sox prospect or a prospect of interest. Check back tomorrow to see the star of this week's prospect profile.