Matsuzaka is gonna kill us in the playoffs

As expected, Matsuzaka and Cabrera handed out 8 walks total last night. But, just as they have done all season, Matsuzaka worked his magic through five innings, giving up just two runs, while Cabrera was knocked out of the game after 4 1/2 innings and was tagged for 6 earned runs when the dust settled.

NESN's Don Orsillo said it well alst night: "If you can do it (get guys out) with the bases loaded, why can't you do it whenever you want (like at the start of the inning)?"

Some have argued that Matsuzaka "chooses" to nip the corners and is willing to give up the walk because he knows he'll eventually get the outs... and the win. Daisuke backed that theory in last night's post game:

“Whether I allow hits or I allow walks, I always think that the important thing is not to allow the runners to score,” Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. “That’s the way I thought last year and it’s still the same this year.”

That approach has earned him back-to-back seasons with at least 15 wins, so it's hard to argue, but this season has been much more of a high-wire act than 2007 was.

That's what makes me nervous.

He's proven that he can beat a solid offense, blanking Texas for 7 innings on 8/14 and holding Chicago to 4 hits and 1 run through 8 innings on 8/9... but it's becoming more and more obvious to opponents that patient is the key to facing Matsuzaka... and a 5 inning starter in the playoffs will get you into trouble.

Bottom Line: Matsuzaka wins games. Watching him pitch will have us all as bald as Tito come November, but he's been featuring this Houdini act all season and it worked - especially lately: 4-0, 1.73 ERA in August.

My fear? His only loss in the past 7 starts came against the Angels, a team we will likely face on the road to the World Series. They only walked twice in that game, but if they know that patience at the plate will lead to base runners and an early exit for Dice-K, the Angels will cause all kinds of problems for him and the Sox... not to mention that the opposing pitcher in that game will be Saunders (14-5, 3.14), Lackey (10-2, 3.22) or Santana (13-5, 3.39)...

Other notes from the game: Jason Varitek hit another homer and had a key RBI double in the 5th ... Kevin Youkilis must have heard me talking "slump" because he went 3-5 with a huge home run in the 5th to give the Sox a 5-2 lead at the time, after posting just 1 hit and 2 walks in his last 11 plate appearances ... Ellsbury looked good grabbing 2 hits and two stolen bases last night ... and Big Papi continues to swing the bat well going 2-3 with a RBI and 2 walks ... Justin Masterson also looked awesome, fanning two through two innings of relief.

Yahoo! Box Score