Game Preview: Sox @ Cleveland GM2

Matsuzaka (11-7, 3.99) vs. Sabathia (13-4, 3.81)
Jacobs Field 705

After the drama and emotion involved with last night's return of Jon Lester, Boson will have to crank up the adrenaline again tonight as they face one of the best starting pitchers in the American League, C.C. Sabathia.

Luckily they have another one of the AL's best on the hill wearing a road uniform, Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The red-hot Red Sox will ride a four game winning streak and the emotional high of Lester's return into tonight's contest at the Jake, but unlike last night they won't be facing a struggling hurler with a bloated ERA.

Sabathia is in the top 10 in the AL in wins (tied for 1st with Josh Beckett), strikeouts (127-t5), and innings pitched (146.1-2nd) and just misses the top 10 in ERA (3.81-17th) and WHIP (1.22-15th), and playing for a potential playoff team puts him smack dab in the running for the AL Cy Young.

But the man opposing him tonight is having a pretty decent season himself, as Dice-K ranks 5th in the league in wins and 3rd in strikeouts (131) despite some maddening inconsistent stretches when he'll walk three batters in a row or allow three or four runs in an inning after shutting down a team for most of a game.

Dice was guilty of both transgressions in his last start when he walked six batters in five innings in a 4-2 loss to the ChiSox on Thursday, but since that time the Sox have reeled off four straight wins while compiling at least 10 hits in each of its last seven games.

So following the hype and drama of last night's game we get to witness a bona fide pitcher's duel tonight, and with both teams possessing patient and talented offenses, any mistakes should be greatly magnified in this one.

In other words, don't walk another half a dozen, Dice!

GO Sox!