This just in: Dice-K is human; Matsuzaka roughed up in 3rd start

Baltimore 5, Sox 3

Despite this picture, Diceman did not lose face after his rough outing vs. Baltimore (Globe/AP)

Well nobody said he was going to be perfect, did they? Wait, some did?

Even so, Red Sox Nation got a heaping slice of humble pie, the first bit of sourness from the Dice-K Experience so far, other than having to deal with Scott Borass.

Matsuzaka had what could be described in any language as a terrible outing against the Orioles at the Fort on Sunday, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits in 4 rocky innings of work. The Master of Control didn't walk a batter and struck out 3, but he gave up two long balls, made a throwing error, and was behind the Baltimore batters all day long.

Okay. So what.

So what if all the Stankee lovers are laughing their asses off right now, slapping each other on the backs and exclaiming "boy, am I friggin' glad Steinbrenner didn't waste $100 mil on that lousy import"? Go ahead, yuk it up,haters. Did everyone expect this kid never to have a rough outing? Didn't everyone see this coming?

Yes and no. We might have known that a bad performance was inevitable from the man who has the hopes, and eyes, of 2 nations pinned on his right arm, yet that doesn't make the pill any tougher to swallow.

The D-man gave up home runs to Jon Knott and Jason Dubois, for crissake, two guys who could be leads in a new NBC comedy, Scrubs: The Minors. He was behind half of the batters he faced, and he needed 63 pitches to get through 4 innings. Rough stuff from a guy the Sox paid $50 million just to negotiate with, numbers comparable to a 5th starter candidate on the Devil Rays.

But this is spring training, after all. A time when Patriots brass like the Hooded Genius and personnel guru Scott Pioli can schmooze in the Sox dugout pregame, opponents can proclaim that Dice-K is 'from another planet", as the O's Melvin Mora did after striking out twice against him, and where Matsuzaka can blow off the outing by saying "it's not something that I'm particularly concerned about."

Maybe so, Diceman.

Just don't have one of these outing in September, m'kay?