It's hard to see the pitcher returning to Boston next year.
View full sizeBoston Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Boston. Matsuzaka has a lot to think about as his days with the Red Sox appear to be winding down for good. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)BOSTON - Any chance of Daisuke Matsuzaka wearing a Red Sox uniform next year might have been washed away on a rainy Saturday night at Fenway Park.
With the end of his six-year contract less than a month away, Matsuzaka is auditioning to remain in the major leagues. Giving up five runs in the second inning of Toronto's 9-2 win over Boston very likely removed the Red Sox from the list of serious suitors.
The Red Sox now sit dead last in the American League East. They have lost 26 of their last 36 games, 15 of their last 19 and 10 of their last 11.
This is not what ownership envisioned when they added a box with the AL East standings to the scoreboard a couple of years ago.
They have 22 games left in which to avoid their first cellar finish since 1992. That is their only last place finish since 1932, when they lost 111 games to pull up the rear.
They play the fourth-place Blue Jays four more times, starting with Sunday's series finale at Fenway.
Matsuzaka knows his days in Boston are likely dwindling.
"It's really disappointing I haven't been there to help the team. That's been really stressful,'' he said through a translator.
"I haven't been able to be consistent. It's been a struggle every day.''
"I don't know whether I'll be wearing this Red Sox uniform (next year), but it's an honor to wear this uniform. (Wondering about next year) hasn't added to the stress.''
It's a given that if anyone gives Dice-K a chance, it will be at small financial risk and probably for only one year. Two straight lousy starts figure to keep the Red Sox from considering even that much.
Bringing back Matsuzaka as a low-cost candidate for No. 5 starter seemed reasonable two weeks ago. In his first start after eight weeks on the disabled list.
He spun seven innings of one-run, five-hit ball against Kansas City in a 5-1 win. That was followed by a 6-2 loss at Oakland, in which Matsuzaka did not make it through the fourth, and Saturday's fiasco.
The rain made pitching a challenge, but it didn't seem to hinder Toronto starter Aaron Laffey, who had a no-hitter after three innings.
Jacoby Ellsbury lined a single to open the fourth. Ellsbury was up again in the fifth, when Laffey needed just one out to make it an official game and qualify for the victory.
He didn't get it. With the count 2-0 on Ellsbury, the skies opened up and the second rain delay of the game denied Laffey the five innings required to get the win.
The left-hander had returned to pitch after the first delay, which lasted 58 minutes and came just after Ellsbury's hit in the fourth. Running him out there again was deemed too risky, so after a second delay that lasted 65 minutes, Brad Lincoln came on to retire Ellsbury, end the fifth and make it an official game.
The Red Sox had scored twice in the fifth, ending Laffey's bewildering mastery of them. By doing so, they extended the game long enough to deny him the victory before the second rain stoppage knocked him out of the box.
Lincoln did his best to earn the win. He retired all seven men he faced, three by strikeout.
It's hard to explain how Laffey morphs into Warren Spahn whenever he faces the Red Sox.
Laffey's career record is 24-28 with a 4.36 ERA. Yet until the fifth, the otherwise nondescript pitcher had logged 17 straight scoreless innings against Boston at Fenway, and 19 against the Sox in all.
Toronto's second inning began auspiciously when Yunel Escobar homered on the first pitch.
It was 5-0 with one out when Matsuzaka was pulled after 42 pitches. Alfredo Aceves used to pitch the ninth inning for Boston, but his status has changed to where he came on in the second inning of this one.
"When I went out in the first inning, I felt good,'' said Matsuzaka (1-5, 7.20 ERA), who had a scoreless first with one walk.
Then, oddly, he said his successful first inning puzzled him.
"I had good stuff, but I didn't know why. I wanted to take that good stuff out for the second inning, but I couldn't do it, and I didn't know why.
"It's something I just can't figure out. It's been a struggle to put my fingers on it.''
Neither can manager Bobby Valentine, who is running the risk of not being around much longer than Matsuzaka.
"He had a good first inning. The first pitch of the second inning went out of the park; after that, he made some decent pitches,'' Valentine said.
Matsuzaka had been 7-1 in 13 previous starts against Toronto. Old records don't matter any more with this team, though.
The Blue Jays have won five straight at Fenway for the first time since 1989. Their five-game overall win streak against Boston is their longest since 2005.
The Red Sox needed five relievers to get 23 outs, after Matsuzaka could deliver only four.
"It's tiring. Guys are tired of playing from behind. The bullpen is tired of eating up innings. It's tough,'' Valentine said.
The new closer is Andrew Bailey, but save opportunities are so rare for this team that Bailey pitched the ninth inning Saturday because he needed the work.
Anthony Gose's first career major league home run was a three-run drive off Bailey in the ninth. That made it a rout.
The Red Sox had six hits in another paltry offensive performance.