Curt's Bloody Sock: Matsuzaka survives a cycle, cramps and magic 'shrooms

Sox 10, Texas 6

WP: Matsuzaka (7-2)

LP: McCarthy (4-5)

HRs: TEX: Catalonotto (4), Vazquez (3)

The Ranger's announcers coined this outfield fungus "The Rally Mushroom"; it was that kind of night.

RECAP:
It was another wet & wild game for the Sox as Dice-K was cruising along with a 4-0 lead until pre-game nausea got the best of him and he surrendered 5 runs in an unbelievable 4th inning to make the game interesting.

But Boston managed to scrape six more runs together on a collection of bloops, bleeders and Texas leaguers, and the Sox went on to win a crazy game in Arlington for Matsuzaka's 6th consecutive victory.

HERO: Matsuzaka 5IP, 7H, 5R, 3BB, 6Ks, 2HRs
Take away the 5th inning-when he surrendered an surreal cycle of hits including two-2-run homers-and he was phenomenal, especially when you consider he was heaving his guts out before the game.

GOAT: Frankie Francisco 1/3IP, 4H, 4ER, 2BB, 0K
The reliever with the unfortunate moniker (a former Sox prospect) came into a 1-run game (6-5 BOS) in the sixth and immediately dumped a jug of methanol on the festivities; 4 hits, 2 walks and 4 runs later the Sox had blown the game open, and Francisco had to be contemplating a potentially lucrative career as an arsonist.

SUMMARY:
There's weird games-like the doozy of a doubleheader against Atlanta two weeks back-and then there are the games the Sox play in Texas. It seems as if every time the team travels to this Mid-Western oasis of steel and steers, something odd happens.

From the series in 2002 when the Sox gave up 6 homers and 19 runs to the Rangers one night, then came back to beat them 13-0 the next, to the incredible 3-HR, 9RBI performance of Billy Mueller in a 14-7 Sox victory in July 2003, there have been some doozys played between these two teams in the heart of Texas.

Well, we can add last night's Twilight Zone special to the list of oddball baseball in Sox/Rangers lore, because this game had more adventure than a failed summer blockbuster.

It started off with a two-hour rain delay that pushed the start time back to 10:00PM EST, and that was only the beginning of the madness-literally. Three and a half hours later the viewers had been treated to a spectacle not often seen on the baseball field, at least not all in one game.

The list of highlights includes: both starting pitchers suffering from nagging problems that forced them to surrender 4 & 5-run innings; three dropped popups including one on the first pitch of the game; two misplayed balls that led to triples, one by each team; a ball bounce directly off second base and into leftfield; Texas hitting for the cycle in the 5th; Manny getting tagged out on both sides of second base; an infield double for Coco Crisp, 11 pitchers throwing 331 pitches; and last, but not least, mushrooms growing in the outfield.

Yes it was a game that could drive even Rod Serling mad, especially since the outcome wasn't decided until well after midnight Eastern Standard Time.

As soon as the game got underway after the delay, that's when the weird shit started. Lugo popped a ball to foul territory near first base that Ian Kinsler nonchalantly dropped-with no error given-that signified what kind of night it would be. Although that play didn't come back to haunt Texas, there would be plenty more opportunities for that to happen.

Like when they got the first two men on base in the bottom of the first but couldn't score thanks to a fortunate double play ball Dice induced from Mark Teixeira and subsequent strikeout of Sammy Sosa. Boston would make the Rangers pay for the missed opportunity when they hung a 4-spot on Texas starter Brandon McCarthy (2IP, H, 4ER, 4BB, K) in the second, fueled by four walks, a sac fly, a bloop single and an RBI fielder's choice by Lugo earned when Sosa dropped a flyball (again, no error) but then nailed Pedroia at second base.

McCarthy would leave after that inning, not from the embarrassment of what happened but due to a Beckett, errr blister, on his pitching hand. The Sox had a golden opportunity to score go by the wayside off reliever Wes Littleton in the 3rd when Papi led off with a single and Manny followed with a double, but after Drew hit a sharp grounder to second, Manny inexplicably broke for third and was picked off as he tried to scramble back to the base with ease. MBM, baby.

The score remained 4-o into the bottom of the 4th, but that's when a pre-game bug bit Dice hard, s he suddenly had the bottom fall out of his performance in one of the strangest innings you'll ever see.

Teixeira started it off with an opposite field smash to left that Manny casually played into a triple. MBM, Pt II. Sosa followed with a deep double to left center that scored the Rangers' first run, and then notorious Sox killer Frankie Catalanotto (how did I forget about him?) launched a 2-run homer to right to cut the gap to one run-for a minute.

After Matsuzaka got Nelson Cruz and Kinsler out, Gerald Laird dropped a single to center and then Ramon Vazquez (another ex-Sox, 2005) blasted a 2-run shot nearly to the same spot as Frankie Cat's, and before you could say "bad sushi", the Rangers had rolled Dice and taken hit for the cycle and a 5-4 lead.

As Matsuzaka came off the field grabbing his right side, the Nation gulped as the health of Boston's biggest off-season investment looked to be in jeopardy. But as soon as I spotted him doing this...

...I knew he was just sick as a dog, not injured. Whew!

To make a long game short, Boston would tag Littleton for two in the 5th on a single by Youk, extending his streak to 17-games, a double by Papi, and a cue shot single off second base by Manny to knock in Ortiz with the go-ahead run, 6-5. Then the wheels came off in the 6th when former farmhand Francisco allowed a walk, an RBI triple by Tek, an RBI double by Coco that trickled off Kinsler's glove into short right, and RBI singles by Lugo and Youk to blow the game open at 10-5.

That outburst allowed Dice-K to exit the game and heave the rest of his stomach contents and Tito used the contigent of Snyder, Lopez, Donnelly, Okajima and Papelbon to close this thing out.

So ended another odd chapter in Boston/Texas history. And I though last night would be the best pitched game of the two!

Must be something in the Texas water.

Like rally mushrooms.

NOTES:

Lugo's 6th inning steal was his 14th in 14th chances this season, good for 2nd in the AL; Texas' Kenny lofton, who nabbed his 16th theft in the 6th, is tied for the league lead.
Youk remains scorching hot with another multi-hit game and another RBI; he's now batting .349, 4th in the AL
Similarly scorching Lowell didn't get a hit, but walked three times and scored twice
The Sox are averaging nearly 7 runs for every Matsuzaka start. He has now allowed totals of 1 (3x),2, 3(2x), 4, 5, 6 and 7 earned runs in his 10 starts and is tied for the ML lead in victories
J.D. Drew was hitless (0-4) again and is down to .230; is it just me or has he grounded out to second base about 357 times this season?
Every Sox starter except Drew & Lowell had hits, and seven of the starting nine registered and RBI
Boston's top four hitters went 7-18 with 4 runs and 5 RBIs while the bottom three went 3-9 with 3 runs and 5 ribbies
Sox Killer: Catalanotto has a field day against Boston, no matter what uni he's wearing; coming in he was hitting .318 with 10 homers, 35 doubles and 47 RBIs in 95 career games vs. the Sox

QUOTES:

"I tried my best to take the team as deep into the game as possible to fulfill my responsibility as the starter," Matsuzaka said in the statement. "I regret that I ended up being a burden on my teammates (Friday). I'll do my best to prepare for my next start." --Matsuzaka, ever self-effacing