It has now been 24 days and after 5 rehab starts in Pawtucket, it is easy to say that Daisuke Matsuzaka is starting to come back into form. To recap the situation: Daisuke spent nearly all of 2011 on the Disabled List due to Tommy John surgery for his left elbow. He is currently on rehab assignment with hopes of returning during the 2012 season. He started his rehab down at High-A Salem back on 4/23 before then moving on up to Double-A Portland. Daisuke was then called up to Triple-A Pawtucket back on 5/7 to begin his 60-day rehab with the Paw Sox. Since then, Daisuke has continued with his rehab in Pawtucket. The following information below sheds some light on his many starts with the team: 5/7 Rochester Red Wings: ND, 4 2/3 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs (0 earned), 3 BB, 4 K, Opponent Avg: .118, Pitches-Strikes: 87-49. Game Result: 4-0 Victory for Pawtucket 5/12 Columbus Clippers: ND, 5 1/3 innings, 7 hits, 5 runs (5 earned), 1 BB, 5 K, Opponent Avg: .237, Pitches-Strikes: 90-54. Game Result: 7-6 Victory for the Paw Sox 5/17 @Durham Bulls: L, 6 2/3 innings, 7 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), 0 BB, 3 K, Opponent Avg: .254, Pitches-Strikes 95-64. Game Result: 0-5 Loss for Pawtucket 5/26 Toledo Mud Hens: ND, 5 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs (0 earned), 1 BB, 2 K, Opponent Avg: .215, Pitches-Strikes: 56-38. Game Result: 8-5 Victory for the Paw Sox 5/31 Norfolk Tide: L, 5 1/3 innings, 2 hits 1 run (1 earned), 0 BB, 4 K, Opponent Avg.: .125, Pitches-Strikes: 76-51. Game Result: 0-2 Loss for the Paw Sox. In total, during his rehab with Pawtucket, Daisuke is 0-2 (3.33) in 5 appearances, has pitched in 27.0 innings, given up 19 hits, 11 runs (10 earned), walked 5 batters, struck out 20 while throwing 404 pitches, 256 for strikes. Overall, though Daisuke is continuing to go through with his rehab with the Pawtucket Red Sox, he shows no signs of any discomfort in his left elbow. His fastballs are coming in at speeds between 88-92 mph while his off-speed pitches currently however in between 77-83 mph. At times Daisuke tends to run up his pitch count during various innings, getting into difficult situations. But there are points where he shows signs of his old 2008 season form, striking down the side or causing batters to jam up and hit into ground outs. The question still remains of whether or not Daisuke will be called up to Boston this season. Perhaps after a few more starts or if there are any injuries or problems with the Boston rotation (*cough* *cough* Josh Beckett *cough* *cough*) we will see #18 pitching in the majors. Until then, he will continue to give the Paw Sox rotation a strong push in their rotation. -Ryan Fox Photo from Miss Universe It's about that time again boys and girls. The culmination of an entire hockey season comes down to just winning four games. The teams? The sixth ranked New Jersey Devils and the eighth ranked Los Angeles Kings. The Devils will be banking on the hot hands of Ilya Kovalchuk as he has a league leading 18 points in this years playoffs. The same being said for the Kings, who will be relying on their young netminder, Jonathan Quick. Quick leads the league, this playoffs, with a 1.54 goals against average and a .946 save percentage. Each of these two stars will be putting their team on their respective backs to carry the workload for the finals. But who will falter first? Or will a new hero emerge for these last games? One cannot forget to mention the greatest goaltender of all time Martin Brodeur, who has been anchoring the Devils through the playoffs. At 40 years old, Brodeur is still putting up great numbers, like a 2.04 GAA and a .923 Save percentage. The Kings will be looking for offensive support from Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and Jeff Carter. Carter having two assists in game five and a hat trick in game two against the Phoenix Coyotes. If any one of these three forwards heat up. Brodeur will have his hands full in the defensive zone. Key Points: Look for Kings to step up and get physical with the Devils. They must keep up the physicality in order to tire out Kovalchuk and Parise. Prediction: 3-2 Kings - David "The Dasian" Rivard twitter: @The_Dasian On a hot, hazy night in Pawtucket, the Paw Sox took to the field against the Norfolk Tide for the second game of a three game series. The Tide took game 1, walking away with a 6-4 victory against the hometown team on Memorial Day. However, the Paw Sox were able to change the flow with an 11-8 victory that saw 19 runs scored, 31 hits, and 5 home runs and took a staggering 3 hours and 38 minutes, the longest home game for the Paw Sox so far this season. Ross Ohlendorf took the ball for the Paw Sox. Already he brought them a 4-1 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens last Thursday’s game that kicked off the 8-game home stand and was looking to do the same thing tonight. However, while on he carved up the Mud Hens that time, today Ohlendorf was taken out to sea by the Tide. He only lasted 4 innings, giving up 10 hits, allowing 5 runs to score (all earned and with 4 of those runs coming in the 4th), while walking 2 batters, striking out 5, hitting 2 batters (Ohlendorf hit Tide 1B Joe Mahoney twice) on 85 pitches of work. After all that was said and done, Ohlendorf ended getting the No Decision, his 3rd of the year. The win was credited to Paw Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa, his 3rd win on the season. He came in the 5th to replace Ohlendorf, went 2 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 run (it was earned), and struck out 4 Tide batters. Paw Sox Reliever Will Inman picked up his 4th save of the season in the 9th to end the game. At the plate, the Paw Sox put on an impressive offensive display. In the 1st inning alone, they were able to bat through the entire lineup. LF Lars Anderson led the way with another impressive game, going 2 for 4 with 5 RBIs, including 2 that came off a monster home run in the 4th inning that put a nice size hole in the right field scoreboard. Teammate RF Josh Kroeger also contributed to the cause with a home run in the 4th inning as while 1B Mauro Goumez added a homer in the bottom of the 8th, capping off a 1 for 3 day with 2 RBIs. Interestingly enough, making his return to McCoy Stadium was former Paw Sox catcher Luis Expositio. Exposito started the year on the Paw Sox roster, going 2-10 (.200) with 1 RBI in 3 games. He was then designated for assignment on April 15th and was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles on April 17th. Continuing off a 1-4, RBI performance in yesterday’s game, Exposito went 3 for 4, including an RBI double in the 6th inning. With tonight’s game wrapped up, the Paw Sox have two games left of their home stand. Tomorrow Paw Sox RHP Justin Germano (4-3, 2.93) will take the mound against the Tide’s RHP Brad Bergesen (2-2, 4.96) at 7:05 p.m. Then on Thursday at 7:05 p.m., Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1, 3.74) continues his injury-rehab stint in Pawtucket, going up against Chris Tillman (3-7, 4.78) of the Tide. -Ryan Fox While everyone prepares to celebrate Memorial Day, over at McCoy Stadium, the festivities kicked off with a series-ending match up between the Pawtucket Red Sox and Toledo Mud Hens. In this one, the final score was 7-4 in favor of the Paw Sox, who took the series 3-1. Brandon Duckworth took to the mound for the Paw Sox. He struggled for most of the game, getting into tough jams in the 1st, then loading the bases up in the 4th inning. In 5 innings of work, Duckworth gave up 7 hits, walked 4, and 2 runs (both earned) while striking out 4 Hens, all on 95 pitches. Duckworth also included some handy field work, initiating a 1-3 double-play in the 2nd inning and a rundown (1-3-6-1-2-3) double-play that got him out of a jam in the 3rd inning. However, after all that work, Duckworth ended up with a No-Decision. Pitcher Clayton Mortenson took the victory for Pawtucket, his 3rd of the season. He went 2 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, no walks, and one strikeout on 30 pitches. Reliever Will Inman picked up the save in the 9th inning, his 3rd of the season. On the offensive side of the plate, 1B Lars Anderson led the way. He went 3 for 3 with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs and a walk. Fellow Paw Sox teammates SS Pedro Ciriaco, 3B Nate Spears, and LF Alex Hassan also contributed to the scoring with home run each. Interestingly enough, Boston Red Sox Outfielder Darnell McDonald was in the lineup for today’s game, going 0 for 4. He is down at Pawtucket for a 20-day injury rehab assignment along with fellow Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is still on a injury rehab assignment with the Paw Sox. The Paw Sox will finish their 8-game home stand with a 4-game series against the visiting Norfolk Tide. The first game of the series will be on Memorial Day, first pitch at 4:05 p.m. Taking the mound for the Paw Sox is RHP Doug Mathias (3-2, 4.23) as he will square off against the Tide’s RHP Zack Clark (NR). -Ryan Fox It is as natural as the leaves changing colors, as annual as the flowers in your mother's garden. If a team is not performing to it's ability or potential, the manager's seat can start to get warm, maybe even a little hot. It's no big secret that sports is all about the money. The owner's money invested in the particular athletes, their state of the art stadiums, TV networks, player contracts, etc. The job of a Major League manager has gone far past setting the starting lineups, pitching rotations, and match ups. Modern day baseball squads are filled with egos, divas, and a plethora of cultural differences. The modern manager has to align these egos and motivate its squad to perform. The art of motivating a multi-millionaire athletes is just that an art. They require the ability to deflect the press from the primadonnas in the clubhouse. They need to have a knack for consistent quirky quotes for their local weekly radio show. These are just a few of the new age baseball managerial skills needed to be successful. Below are a few of the gentlemen who's seat maybe getting a little uncomfortable. John Farrell is serving his second season as Blue Jays skipper, and has not necessarily done a bad job, nor a great job. He earned his 100th win as a manager recently, but that may not be enough to keep Farrell in Canada. The AL East is arguably the toughest division in the league and as it stands, the Blue Jays find themselves in the middle of the pack, a familiar place for Toronto. As the season heats up, so inevitably will the Bronx Bombers, and the Beantown Babies. Ironically, the biggest knock on Farrell is in comparison to the job Baltimore manager Buck Showalter is accomplishing in the same time period. Baltimore has gotten noticeably better in Buck's reign, while Toronto has failed to keep pace with the elite. In a small market, a club has to win NOW. Patience may run out for Mr. Farrell as his modest accomplishments have failed to sell anymore tickets. Ohhh Bobby Valentine. When the Sox brought the enigmatic Bobby V to town, they were looking for the exact opposite out of him than his predecessor. If Valentine fails it is not due to lack of effort or ability. The failure in Boston lays completely on the shoulders of upper management. The control and power that they have over the roster and Valentine himself have created a difficult, yet interesting working environment. A shake up was needed in that clubhouse and clearly the brass agreed this past winter with the firing of Terry Francona. Second thoughts and an ill conceived plan coupled with injuries may leave Bobby V out in the cold. One of the most likable guys in the game, Bud Black has been at the helm of the San Diego Padres for six seasons. In that time, he has posted just a .472 winning percentage. Black has seen his best players repeatedly shipped off to larger markets. The Padres have one of the lowest payrolls consistently in the game. When they do bring in a free agent it is not always pretty (ie. Orlando Hudson) leaving Black with a glorified minor league roster. Diminishing ticket sales and a post season berth seemingly to far into the future, could be the catalyst for the Padres to change skippers. Sitting in last place at this point of the season is the most effective way to end up on the hot seat. Milwaukee Brewers' skipper Ron Roenicke has got to be puzzled with his 2012 club. A division winner a year ago, but Milwaukee is not the same this season. Prince Fielder's departure is a part of but not the sole cause of their struggles. A city with a taste for winning may now be quick to castaway their second year skipper if he fails to live up to the expectations set last season. - Pal
A trip roughly 30 miles up up the road to from Anaheim to Chavez Ravine has so far been a veritable fountain of youth for Abreu. He is effectively covering both corner outfield positions with veteran savvy. Thus far, he has posted a .327 batting average with an OBP of .435. Although his arm is not the mighty cannon it once was and his power numbers are not impressive in the least. Bobby has proven again, there is always room for another lefty.
- Pal
- Kevin Aherne
Photo from SB Nation First off, let's give proper credit to the Phoenix Coyotes, because it's well deserved. Second, being completely serious, who are the Phoenix Coyotes? As a true hockey fan, how many players beside Mike Smith and Shane Doan can you name on the Coyotes? It's hard huh? Regardless, if you can name their first line or not, they deserve to be in the Western Finals. Beating Chicago 4-2 and then Nashville 4-1makes them a serious contender. However, the Kings are on a warpath. The Kings had a harder road to get to where they are. They beat last years Stanley Cup finalists the Vancouver Canucks in five games and then went on to sweep the St. Louis Blues. This is the year of the Kings. Lead by Forward Anze Kopitar and their Captain Dustin Brown, the Kings look strong enough to win it this year. Not to mention, they are anchored by the young American net-minder Jonathan Quick who is boasting a save percentage of .945 so far during the playoffs. A lot of the Kings success must be attributed to the ability to win games on the road. The Kings haven't lost a road game yet through their playoff run. But don't count Shane Doan and his Coyotes out quite yet. He stepped up his compete level in the last game. Scoring two goals to make up for his lack of offense points during this series. Goaltender Mike Smith also stepped up his game and stopped all 36 shots the Kings took on him, preserving the shutout and helping the Coyotes take the victory. All in all, it should be a great game to watch. Catch the game at 9pm est on NBCSN. I will also be live tweeting during the game on Twitter @The_Dasian if you're not able to watch the game live. - David "The Dasian" Rivard |
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