Game Preview: Sox @ Seattle GM3

Matsuzaka (9-5, 4.01) vs. Feierabend (1-2, 8.20)
4:30EST Safeco Field

The weight of RSN is resting on Dice-K's shoulders as a sudden inability to get batters out has plagued the staff since its plane touched down in the grunge capital of the United States.

And grungy is an adequate description of Boston's pitching in this series, as nearly every hurler that has the hill in these two games has stunk it up in some way or another.

From Julian Tavarez, Kyle Snyder and Mike Timlin in Game 1 to Kason Gabbard, Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez last night, the Boston staff that had been so terrific all season long has suddenly morphed into the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with a piss-poor combination of inadequate starting pitching and horrendous relief work.

Luckily for Boston Matsuzaka is on the mound for this afternoon's getaway day series finale. Dice has been improving after a couple of rough starts in late May, and although he is only 2-2 in his four June starts, he has allowed just five earned runs in 26 innings (1.73 ERA.)

His problem, like recent Sox mound men, has been control, as he has walked 14 batters during that stretch, although he has fanned 34, so the free passes haven't hurt as badly.

But if that stretch continues, might we see a third consecutive game where a Boston hurler walks in two runs with the bases loaded?

Please God no.

Luckily, again, for Boston, their opponent will be 21-year-old Ryan Feireabend, a lefty who has appeared in only eight games in his career and has been shelled in almost every appearance in that time.

This season in four appearances the kid has allowed 23 hits, 17 runs and five homers in 18.2 innings of work, and he's coming off a shellacking at the hands of the Reds in which he gave up six hits, nine runs and five walks in 2 2/3 innings. Nice.

Opponents are batting .311 against him, with righties doing the damage at .339 and lefties being baffled to the tune of .167, so obviously look for Tito to go with a predominantly right-handed lineup in this case.

On paper this looks like a mismatch, with Dice making his debut in the house that Nintendo built facing a roughed-up rookie.

But the way things have been going for Boston pitchers lately, combined with the Sox' innate ability to make scrubs pitch like studs, who the fuck knows what will happen today.

All I know is this game won't be ending at 1:30 in the friggin morning.

I hope.

Go Sox!