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By SEAN McADAM
The Providence Journal
Boston Red Sox righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka ended the month of June with a sparkling 1.59 ERA, but you wouldn't know it by looking at his won-lost record.
Matsuzaka escaped with a no-decision Wednesday in a 2-1, 11-inning loss at Seattle, but deserved far better. He tossed nine innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits along the way.
But because the Red Sox didn't score for him, he didn't get the victory he deserved.
So what else is new?
In those five June starts, the Red Sox scored a grand total of five runs for him. The miracle was that Matsuzaka managed to win two of those starts, last Saturday against the Padres (2-1) and June 16 against the San Francisco Giants (1-0). The last time the Sox scored more than two runs in a game while Matsuzaka was still on the mound was May 25, when they beat Texas, 10-6. For the year, Dice K is 9-5 with a 3.80 ERA to go along with 110 strikeouts in 106-2/3 innings pitched.
Matsuzaka shrugged off the issue of run support after the Mariners' game.
"I feel like I pitch better when it's a tight game," he said, "so I can't complain about that."
Said manager Terry Francona: "That stuff can go in cycles. You pitch according to the score. He did everything he could today; we just didn't score. But he wasn't hanging his head."
The American League All-Star team will be chosen Sunday, before Matsuzaka gets a chance to add to his win total. His ERA, wins and strikeouts are worthy of selection, but with teammate Josh Beckett (11-1, 3.07) a lock and a handful of starters deserving (C.C. Sabathia, John Lackey, Justin Verlander, Dan Haren), Matsuzaka might be passed over.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
