PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Kyodo) Boston Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka had another unsettling outing on Thursday after his previous rocky start, but management is still taking his performance this spring with a grain of salt.
Matsuzaka yielded five runs, all earned, and five hits in 3 2/3innings in an 8-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays — another subpar outing after surrendering seven runs on seven hits in three innings of work last week.
"I haven't been able to produce what I have worked on in spring training. I have to be able to produce in games what I worked on in practice, or there is no meaning," Matsuzaka said. "My (newly developed) changeup has been fine but my cutter is way off base," he said.
Matsuzaka got off to an ominous start, walking leadoff man Ben Zobrist and then did the same to No. 2 hitter Johnny Damon.
He then got behind in the count 3-1 to Evan Longoria, who drove in the first run with a drive to center and Matt Joyce added a sac fly for another run. John Jaso took Matsuzaka deep to right in the second for a solo blast to add to the onslaught.