Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Matsuzaka, 32, had some terrible numbers a year ago with Boston (1-7, 8.28 ERA, 1.71 WHIP), but it’s unfair to judge him based solely on those numbers. Unnoticed is the fact that he posted the lowest walk rate since his rookie season (3.9), struck out nearly a batter an inning, and got extremely unlucky on batted balls in play (.336).

Furthermore, only 57.9 percent of his runners were left stranded on base, an incredible number considering the average rate is at about 72 percent. Dice-K pitched far, far better than his numbers indicate in 2012, and the Indians may well have a pleasant surprise with this signing.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

Daisuke Matsuzaka could be an option for the Mets which would give him a chance at redemption after some injury plagued seasons in Boston. (Image Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Matsuzaka is a free agent for the first time after completing a six year, $52 Million contract with the Boston Red Sox. It is believed that Matsuzaka could look at a return to pitch in Japan if he didn’t find an attractive offer from an MLB team. There was speculation earlier this offseason that he had a preference for San Diego, perhaps a decision influenced by the pitcher’s park that is Petco, but there never appeared to be strong interest on the team’s part. Cleveland and Miami have also been linked to the right-hander.

Injuries and general ineffectiveness largely marred the final few seasons of Matsuzaka’s career in Boston, vastly diminishing the legacy he’ll leave with the Sox fanbase. He went 17-22 with a 5.53 ERA over the past four seasons, making just 55 starts and throwing 296.0 innings. His last full healthy season was his best, when he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.324 WHIP in 2008 while finishing 4th in AL Cy Young Award voting.

Presumably Matsuzaka will have to settle for a minor league deal at this point, considering most teams don’t have any space available on their 40-man rosters with Spring Training right around the corner. Matsuzaka was known for running his pitch counts high throughout his tenure in Boston. There’s no way of knowing just how much he has left in his arm after such a spotty injury history. On a non-guaranteed deal he could potentially be an interesting candidate to watch during Spring Training and one has to believe he’d come to camp motivated, but the Mets don’t appear to need the additional depth.

For me the 2012 season started to take a wrong turn when Boston decided that it didn’t want Terry Francona back as manager. Another zag occurred when management let closer Jonathan Papelbon go in free agency. Then we learned that Carl Crawford would not start the season in left field because of injury.

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Daisuke Matsuzaka made his season debut for the Boston Red Sox and ended up faring out OK. He struck out eight batters in five innings but also allowed four runs on just five hits and a walk. The Nats received a three-hit performance in 6.1 innings from Gio Gonzalez, as well as Adam LaRoche‘s tenth homer and 40th RBI of the year.

May 8, 2011; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka (18) pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

Orioles 6, Phillies 4

The Baltimore Orioles topped the Philadelphia Phillies in 12 innings thanks to a walk-off home run from Adam Jones. Hunter Pence was terrific in a 4-5 day for the Phils.

Twins 11, Cubs 3

Joe Mauer went 3-4 with two RBIs in his return, and Trevor Plouffe smashed a home run and a double to help the Minnesota Twins shellack Jeff Samardzija in a start he will want to forget as quickly as possible. Scott Diamond tossed six scoreless innings for the Twins, and only Alfonso Soriano hit a home run for the Cubs.

Braves 5, Blue Jays 2

Braves starter Tommy Hanson was dealing in eight innings of two-run ball with just five hits allowed. The Braves got a homer and three RBIs out of Dan Uggla, as well as three hits and his 16th steal of the year from lead-off man Michael Bourn.

Giants 5, Rangers 2

Despite pitching well and getting seven punchouts, Scott Feldman remains winless and lost his fifth game of the season. Part of that is because Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong was immaculate in 7.2 innings with just three hits and one run allowed. Nate Schierholtz led the way with a double and his fourth triple of the year for San Francisco.

White Sox 10, Astros 1

The Houston Astros were destroyed by the Chicago White Sox, as the offense backed up another fantastic start from Chris Sale. The converted reliever tossed eight scoreless, walk-less innings with seven punchouts and just four hits allowed. Alejandro De Aza had four hits, Adam Dunn homered and drove in five runs, and Gordon Beckham had three hits and three steaks to lead the way for Chicago.

Padres 5, Brewers 2

Chase Headley had three hits and Ross Ohlendorf recorded the win for the 20-40 San Diego Padres who are probably the worst team in baseball.

Tigers 3, Reds 2

Although Bronson Arroyo outdueled Justin Verlander, Sean Marshall gave up a crucial eight inning single to Prince Fielder that would win the game for Detroit.

Angels 11, Rockies 5

Although both pitchers were poor, Dan Haren didn’t have the nightmare outing that Rockies starter Jeff Francis did. He allowed ten hits and eight runs in 3.1 innings, with Torii Hunter and Mike Trout having big days at the top of the L.A. order with three hits and three runs each. Albert Pujols homered and drove in four runs to continue his resurgence. Not only that, but Albert Callaspo had three hits and two walks, and Howie Kendrick also recorded three hits for the victors.

Yankees 4, Mets 2

The New York Yankees got another Subway Series victory over their crosstown rivals, even though Dillon Gee and Phil Hughes were as decent as each other on the mound. The difference was Mark Teixeira, whose two-run shot to score Curtis Granderson in the sixth gave the Yanks a decisive 3-2 lead. Two innings later, Granderson would knock one out of the park himself to seal the deal.

Dodgers 8, Mariners 3

Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scintillating innings for the L.A. Dodgers with 12 strikeouts and just four hits allowed. Jerry Hairston Jr. was a huge force for L.A. with three hits, two runs, five RBIs, a home run, and two doubles.

Pirates 5, Royals 3

Chalk that up as another save for Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan, who now has 17 saves on the year after tossing a scoreless ninth to help the Pirates defeat the Kansas City Royals.

Cardinals 2, Indians 0

Justin Masterson did not deserve to lose his sixth game of the season after pitching seven great innings for the Cleveland Indians, but that’s how baseball works and it’s why wins aren’t a good stat at evaluating pitchers. It always stinks to have your starter at his best and still coming up short and not being able to win the game. That’s how the Indians felt, but it wasn’t how the Cardinals felt after a terrific 7.2 innings performance from starter Kyle Lohse. He allowed just three hits, two walks, and no runs with Michael Brantley getting two of those hits.

Rays 13, Marlins 4

In this Sunshine State battle, the Tampa Bay Rays shelled Carlos Zambrano (lasted just 2.1 innings) and the Miami Marlins while getting six productive innings out of Matt Moore. The Rays offense was led by Ben Zobrist, who had three hits, four runs, and four steaks. Elliot Johnson had four hits and three RBIs hitting behind Zobrist and playing shortstop, and Jose Molina also drove in three. Molina would end up with a double, while Zobrist mashed two dingers.

Diamondbacks 8, Athletics 3

Trevor Cahill and Jarrod Parker were two major pieces traded between both teams in the offseason, and Cahill was the dominant pitcher in this game. Parker was poor, but Cahill tossed 7.1 solid innings with seven Ks and just two runs allowed. The D’Backs received two doubles from infielder Aaron Hill, three hits from offseason signing Jason Kubel, and a monstrous 458-foot grand slam from recently extended star catcher Miguel Montero.

• The Tampa Bay Rays may be scouting left handed pitching. Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padresnoted that Bob
  

  Could Joe Thatcher soon find himself in a Rays jersey? (Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

  Cluck, a scout for the Rays attended a recent Padres verse Giants game. Krasovic speculated that Cluck may have been scouting Joe Thatcher.”Bob Cluck, a Tampa Bay Rays scout, worked the recent Padres-Giants series. I don’t know if Cluck was scouting the Padres, Giants or both for trade purposes, but Tampa Bay, like several other teams in playoff contention, could have a need for right-handed power and left-handed relief.”

  Joe Thatcher would bolster a Rays bullpen that could use some lefty help. Thatcher is 0-1 with a 2.35 ERA. He is striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings of work. At 30 years old and under team control until 2015, Thatcher may be another viable trade candidate coming from San Diego. Carlos Quentin is obviously the top candidate.

• Daisuke Matsuzaka is slated to make his first start this season on Saturday. Peter Abraham of Boston.com reported yesterday that the Red Sox are planning to activate Matsuzaka off the disabled list.  The Red Sox pitcher has not pitched in over a year. He under went Tommy John elbow surgery on his pitching arm last season. Since then, he has been recovering and rehabbing. With Daniel Bard‘s demotion to Triple-A, Matsuzaka will fill the void.
• The Baltimore Orioles activated Zach Britton from the 60-day disabled list yesterday and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.  Britton will continue pitching for Norfolk after making three previous rehab starts in hopes of returning to full health.  If he does, Rueters is reporting the Orioles will look to recall him to the Major league squad.Britton was 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three rehab starts.  Last year, Briton was 11-11 with a 4.61 ERA in 28 starts for the Orioles.  It was his first Major League season.  His Major League debut was April 3, 2011.

Just having a healthy body back, as opposed to shipping someone else to the disabled list as if it were simply another minor league team roster, could be a morale boost for the Red Sox. There was a time when it was believed that Matsuzaka could be the next Greg Maddux or something, but he has never quite lived up to his hype. As great as he was in Japan, Matsuzaka has always been just good in Boston.

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Daniel Bard wears his frustration on his sleeve....and his face. (Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE)

2010, but this season he has disappointed as a starter.  Yesterday, Boston sent Bard to Triple-A Pawtucket to work on his mechanics.

In 2010, Bard pitched 74 2/3 innings in relief.  He compiled a 1.93 ERA and struck out 76 strikeouts.  He followed that performance with 73 innings of relief in 2011.  He put up a 3.33 ERA and struck out 74.  The two seasons of stellar work from the bullpen led the Red Sox to move Bard to the rotation.  However, Bard has struggled as a starter.

In 11 games this season (10 starts), Bard is 5-6 with a 5.24 ERA.  He has pitched 55 innings and struck out just 34.  It’s common for a reliever to experience and jump in many of his peripheral numbers as he transitions to the rotation, but Bard has handled the transition worse than most.

He’s walked 37 already this year and hit a career high eight batters.  The organization hopes the demotion will allow Bard to work on his delivery and focus without the pressure of being on the Major League roster.  Bard’s control has been an issue this year, and it was never more evident than in his last start on Sunday.  He pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowed just one hit, but he walked six, hit two batters, and gave up six runs.

The Red Sox have not indicated who will replace Bard in the rotation.  However, Daisuke Matsuzaka is coming close to returning from a rehab stint with Triple-A Pawtucket.  It stands to reason he will replace Bard in the rotation.  Whoever replaces Bard will have to step up though.  The Red Sox are only three games back, but the way they lose games some times makes it feel as if they are much further behind.  Their 28-27 is far from indicative of a team out of the hunt.  Yet, they don’t quite feel in the hunt.

Bard’s demotion may be temporary, but it is a change and if anything can be said of this year’s Red Sox club, it’s that change is the only constant.

May 5, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Aaron Cook (35) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

The former Colorado Rockies ace has pitched in just 2.2 innings this season, and ZiPS projects a 4.57 FIP from him this season. Aaron Cook was worth 1 WAR last year, as his 6.03 ERA was filled with bad luck (.345 BABIP). From 2006-2009, Cook was worth 13.6 WAR for the Rockies and was one of the best sinkerballers in baseball during that time span, even if he was overshadowed by fellow NL West sinkerballer and Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb. The interesting thing is that Webb is also a shell of his former self, but Cook is at least serviceable.

According to a tweet from Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, two doctors agreed that corner outfielder Cody Ross‘s left foot is not broken. X-Rays of the foot came up negative, which is great news for Red Sox fans who cannot afford to have another quality hitter in the OF go down. He might be able to avoid the DL, and he’ll probably return in a week.

The former World Series hero has been everything the Red Sox hoped for when they signed him, and he has exceeded his 1.5-2 WAR expectations thus far this year. ZiPS now has him on pace for a 2.5-3 WAR year, and Ross has been worth 1 WAR this year. Early on, it looks like his higher walk rate from last year was legit, but his strikeout rate is higher than usual. That might be a good thing, because Ross could be due for regression.

He is currently getting on base at a .349 clip, but he does have a .318 BABIP that is slightly high. Still, he has a 132 wRC+ and should maintain at least a 110 wRC+ this season. Ross’s previous career high with at least 75 games is 106. He is playing a little over his head, but Cody Ross will end up being a league-average player this year at worst.

Starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka has, according to manager Bobby Valentine, pain in the side of his neck. He is still suffering from an elbow injury and has been making rehab start after rehab start, but Matsuzaka has been poor in all five rehab starts. His control has been described as “erratic” by Peter Abraham. The one-month rehab assignment is coming to a close for Dice-K, and there doesn’t seem to be any indication that Matsuzaka will be joining the rotation anytime soon; much less the MLB roster.

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