This And That

Since there was no game last night, and for that I'm happy (Tito and I needed a break, you see), here's a little bit of this and a little bit of that. First up, the this......Jon Lester. He looked good last night pitching for Pawtucket. Darn good. This is from the Herald of Boston.

" Jon Lester retired the first 11 batters he faced in his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket last night.
Imagine what the left-hander could have done with a full arsenal of pitches.
Restricted from throwing his cutter out of concern that it would lead to a reoccurence of forearm cramping, Lester still went five strong innings, allowing one run on three hits for the PawSox in their 3-2 win over the Syracuse Chiefs at McCoy Stadium.
“I felt good,” said Lester, who had one walk and one strikeout. “The forearm felt good, legs were under me the whole five innings. It’s getting better. Now we just need to get up to 90, 100 pitches and see where we’re at then.”
Lester, on a limit of five innings or 70-75 pitches, threw 65 (39 for strikes). He threw fastballs, changeups and curves but continued to avoid the cutter, which may have caused the forearm to cramp in his May 2 start. "

Peter here, and that is good news indeed. We'll see him pitching for the Red Sox soon, and a little part of me (remember, I said a LITTLE part of me) would like to see him take over Wake's spot in the rotation. I say this more because of Tavarez' recent good pitching rather than the last couple of lackluster wiffle-ball-like performances spun by Timmy. Wakes will turn it around, I hope. He seems to be fine unless he's pitching against the Yankees.

Second up, the that........Daisuke Matsuzaka, who goes tonight at Texas. By now you all know he was the AL Player of the Week last week for his two stunning starts. This also is from the Herald......

" Daisuke Matsuzaka is 3-0 with a 1.87 ERA in his past three starts, but the Red Sox [team stats] right-hander obviously feels he has room to improve.
Matsuzaka, who will oppose Brandon McCarthy tonight in the opener of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, is unsatisfied with his lack of command with his changeup. He worked extensively on his change during a 90-pitch bullpen session Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
Matsuzaka, who is 6-2 with a 4.06 ERA in nine starts, has been throwing more split-fingered fastballs because of the changeup’s tendency to miss high and away to left-handed batters.
Despite those struggles, the reigning American League Player of the Week has held opponents to a .235 batting average, tied for the 12th-best in the league. "

Peter here, and that's just what the opposing batters needed.....a BETTER Daisuke. I like him just the way he has been his last three starts. The communication between he and his catcher is becoming better with every outing. He might win 20 games in this, his first year playing American baseball. And that truly is a testament to his pitching ability.
Tonight, it's the Texas Rangers for the first of three. They don't have a good record, but boy can they hit!! We'll see what they do with Daisuke's offerings. All of 'em! Have a great weekend. I'll be back with a full wrap-up of game one first thing in the morning, if not before. Oh, click on the title for a Roger Clemens update. And please, never forget......your comments are always more than welcome. Talk to me!