“Every time he takes the ball now, it’s not quite as big an event,’’ said manager Terry Francona.
There are valid reasons for that. Matsuzaka is 46-27 with the Red Sox but has a 4.18 earned run average and has averaged 4.3 walks per nine innings. Of the 64 pitchers in the majors who have thrown at least 500 innings the last four years, he ranks 34th in ERA.
Only three times in the last two years has he won two starts in a row.
“Good and bad. I had a good time and bad experiences as well,’’ Matsuzaka said via new interpreter Kenta Yamada. “I would like to use the four years of experience to have a better performance this year.’’
The Sox hope that will be the case, but aren’t predicting it. Matsuzaka arrived in camp with a dark tan and a few less pounds.
He showed off his fitness yesterday by throwing 45 pitches in the bullpen, 15 more than any of the other starters.
But Francona has learned the folly of trying to guess what will happen next.
“We’ve kind of been all over the spectrum; we’ve touched it all,’’ he said. “We’ve seen him really good; we’ve seen him where he can’t take the ball; we’ve seen where he doesn’t throw strikes.’’
The first step will be staying on the mound. Matsuzaka has thrown only 380 1/3 innings the last three seasons, missing approximately 33 starts because of injury.
He is a regular on the rehab circuit, making 10 starts for minor league affiliates.
The Red Sox have one-time starter Tim Wakefield in their bullpen for those almost inevitable times when Matsuzaka will be on the disabled list.
“I just want to stay on the mound throughout the whole year in the major leagues,’’ Matsuzaka said. “The past two years, I was not 100 percent confident about my physical condition. However, this spring training, I feel very good.’’
Matsuzaka was 9-6 with a 4.69 ERA last season.
After a rocky 2008 season that included bickering with management, he settled into a lesser role in the rotation and was fairly productive as the spotlight shrunk.
