Final Score: Boston Red Sox 9, Toronto Blue Jays 3You know what I like? A pitcher who can bounce back from adversity. Although Matsuzaka, stuck in low-90s land, continues to lack a really biting fastball, he stepped up his curve and went on to give what's arguably one of his top three performances this year. Even more importantly, he did so after facing a rising storm of criticism about his "one bad inning" tendency and against a team - number ten in the MLB for OPS - that does not lack for hitting. Whether or not Dice-K has reversed his course and is on his way back to the domination he showed in his first start against KC is one of the great mysteries of the universe, but one thing's for certain: Dennis Miles doesn't throw a curve ball like the one Dice-K had last night and Dennis Miles doesn't throw four straight strikeouts, either. If good breaking balls continue to abound, I think we can look forward to a string of successful Matsuzaka starts.
Speaking of strings of success, can we not declare Dustin Pedroia out of his slump and on his way up? After a wretched April, the P-Dawg has at least one hit in his last five starts, scored runs in four of five games and touched base 16 times, all while striking out only once. Also, let's not forget that home run: short guys got power, too! In other words, we can stop using "Dustin Pedroia" and "black hole" in the same sentence; Pedroia is on his first major league hot streak and, for the first time this year, the Sox have a strong lineup top to bottom, complementing a solid bullpen and a rotation that inspires shivers of delight. I'm loving life as a fan right now.
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