Daisuke Matsuzaka Can Be Very Good But Continues to Drive Fans Crazy With Unpredictability on Mound

Don’t look now, but the Red Sox are turning things around.

After three straight wins in Boston to close out the homestand, the Sox take their act to the West Coast, where they’ll face the A’s and Angels before flying back east to take on the Orioles in Baltimore.

How different is it for the Red Sox when they face a lefty?
–Carl, West Virginia

I think it will prove to be one of the toughest tasks they will have this year. They are constructed offensively to deal with right-handers, so to be in a stretch of facing five out of seven left-handed starters is really a very difficult stretch. They have fared well despite this current run of lefties. It isn’t a bad lineup, but it is very different and there are times when Terry Francona makes it a little easier for an opposing manager to bring in a pitcher who can deal with three lefties in a row at times. When the majority of your stars are lefties, there is no doubt you would rather deal with right-handed starters. I cannot remember a stretch of lefties like this though in a while.

How can you explain Daisuke Matsuzaka?
–Kayla, New Britain, Conn.

I simply can’t. On any given start, he could either throw a no-hitter or be out after two innings. He may struggle through five innings and throw 120 pitches while walking six batters or he could throw one-hit baseball and retire the last 16 he faces. There is no way to predict what he will do, and I am done trying to figure it out. I do know that the pitcher we saw pitch on Patriots’ Day is the pitcher we thought was coming from Japan to pitch for the Red Sox. He has shown glimpses of what was said in his scouting report. He can be maddening to watch or announce, but when he is on, he is very good.

In spring training you said you thought Jed Lowrie should be the starter at short. What do you think now?
–Mary, Lincoln, Mass.

I think he should be playing every day and not necessarily because of how well he has done recently. I believe this now and I thought this before the season even started. He was sick last year and injured the year before but this guy was ready two years ago to be an every day player. He can hit from both sides of the plate, which really helps when dealing with all the lefties this team currently has. He’s also very solid defensively. I am a big fan of what he can do and what he has done in limited time over the past two years. I remember talking with him moments before his MLB debut in Cleveland I remember how quietly confident and amazingly calm he was and how he expected to do well. Terry Francona is going to have a hard time keeping him on the bench.

As the Red Sox start this West-Coast road trip, what do you think of the schedule so far?
–Mike, Charlestown, Mass.

I think it is good. I think the years in which the West-Coast trips are in the second half — or when there are three of them on the schedule — they are a real disadvantage to the Sox. I think having one early when everybody is fresh really is a good thing. I reserve the right to change my mind should they play poorly, but I think an April West-Coast swing is a good thing in the end. I also think it’s weird that we only go to Oakland once and for a two game series at that. The game times in the first month are always all over the place with many day games so I think that aspect makes it difficult on player’s routine, but that is generally the case every year.

You and Jerry had Senator Scott Brown on during the Patriots’ Day game. Jerry said that when you take photos with your booth guests you crop him out of yours. Is this true?
–Don, NYC

I do. Well, most of them. I have had several with Jerry in them. It’s just that I see Jerry every day of my life and spend more time with him than anyone else on the planet. This is a good thing but I don’t need to see more of Jerry in my office during my down time. So out he goes from all of our booth shots, even though I think that he is sensitive to this issue. I guess if roles were reversed I might feel the same way. There have been several posted on NESN.com over the years and you can see Jerry’s arm or shoulder. Just to prove he is not removed from all photos, I have posted one above. Will he be in the final picture that ends up on my office wall remains to be seen. Joking of course…