Daisuke threw the idea of a 6 man rotation out the window (he was aiming for the door) last night, as he had another brutal outing. In 4 innings, he allowed 8 hits, walked 4, and let in 6 runs.
He falls to 1-5 on the season, with a bloated 8.23 ERA, and an atrocious WHIP of 2.20. He hasn't reached 6 innings in any of his starts.
Opponents are hitting .378 against him, and slugging .647. And what's even more disheartening is that even when he has his A-Game, he's a 5 inning pitcher.
Judging by his disappointed post-game demeanor, I think he might accept an assignment to AAA. He has a clause in his contract requiring consent to being demoted, but I can't see what else he or the Sox can do. It takes him 45 minutes to warm-up, so a bullpen stint is out of the question. Besides, how is being a long-reliever, pitching inconsistently for 3 innings in mop-up situations, going to help him out?
We should remember that this guy went from Japan straight to Major League Baseball. There was no AAA stint, no halfway house for him. And although he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA last year, it was the strangest 18-3 in baseball history. He's the record holder for fewest innings pitched for an 18 game winner.
The Sox offense also needs to get back on the ball. 3 hits in 2 games is awful.
Man of the Game:
Garret Anderson - 3 for 3, 4 RBI
Bitch-Goat:
Matsuzaka: 0.8
Ortiz: 0.2
Derek Lowe faces Josh Beckett tonight.
Source:
ESPN.com
Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola
