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Matsuzaka struggles with control in preseason game

Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka throws against the Cincinnati Reds in spring training in Sarasota, Florida, on Monday. PHOTO: AP

Boston Red Sox rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched five hitless innings but the walks he issued to five Cincinnati Reds left him silent and dissatisfied after the spring training game on Monday.

Following Boston's 5-0 loss, Matsuzaka stared at the floor in the visitors' clubhouse for some time.

It's not the way he wanted his last full tuneup for his first major league season to end, especially for a player the Red Sox invested US$103 million in because of his ability to avoid such struggles during eight seasons in Japan.

The usually cooperative pitcher refused to talk to reporters and issued a statement instead.

"This time of year I think the content of my pitching is more important than the result on paper. I am not happy with the content of my pitching today," it said.

"I threw a lot of walks and wasted balls," it said. "It was tough on my [fielders] to defend and to get into a good rhythm on offense. It's something I will want to pay attention to in the regular season."

Manager Terry Francona said the right-hander was fine physically after throwing 104 pitches, his spring training high.

Matsuzaka is expected to throw 40-60 pitches on Saturday in Philadelphia in his final exhibition appearance of the spring.

"Even though he probably didn't command like he wants to," Francona said. "He didn't give them anything. There's a lot of ways for him to get outs."

He warned against reading too much into a preseason game, even though Matsuzaka's outings are scrutinized heavily by reporters.

"He doesn't have the right to have spring training because of every camera and all you guys," Francona said with a touch of sarcasm. "This is a spring training game in Sarasota.

"Let's just ease off," he said.

Besides, there were some impressive parts to Matsuzaka's work.

The Reds fielded nearly their full regular lineup and Matsuzaka struck out six, including his last batter, and had better control in his final inning.

"He very much kept us in the game," pitching coach John Farrell said. "Some of the counts were a little bit of a struggle for him, but I think, overall, he kept his composure to the point of not letting an inning unravel."

Matsuzaka threw an unusually high 45 balls and had trouble controlling his fastball.

But when hitters do make contact with his pitches, they usually make outs -- he hasn't given up a hit in his last 10 innings.

Of the last 37 batters he's faced, 30 made outs, six walked and one reached on a catcher's interference by Jason Varitek against the Reds. Thirteen of the 30 outs were strikeouts.

Matsuzaka worked in his usual deliberate manner, but "at times he rushed a little bit to home plate," and his curveball was too high, Farrell said.
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