Pegged originally as a short story, the Justin Masterson tale is beginning to merit consideration as a full-length page-turner. And we may not even have gotten to the best part yet. White-hot J. Drew’s sixth-inning solo home run made a winner out of Masterson (3-0), whose swooping, side-armed delivery features a pause before the ball’s release from somewhere near third base. Aside from his two-walk second inning, when the Mariners scratched together a run for a 1-0 lead, Masterson had his way against Seattle’s thin lineup.
Seattle starter Erik Bedard was his usual nearly unhittable self, holding the Sox to just one run. But he lasted just five innings as the Red Sox hitters, especially Dustin Pedroia, made him use all his bullets early on an awfully warm day at Fenway - 98 degrees at the 1:38 p.m. first pitch. Drew’s home run allowed Masterson, who needed just 88 pitches, to enjoy his third victory in his four starts. Those first two starts were spread out nearly a month apart, one on April 24, the next on May 20. Masterson now has made two starts in June and has another lined up for Friday in Cincinnati. That will be the first time he’s taken his act on the road, as he has now become the first starter to be unbeaten after his first four major league appearances at Fenway Park, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
With opponents hitting just .175 against him entering the day, there was little to complain about Masterson’s game plan in his first three starts. Lefties were hitting him a little harder (.222) than righties (.111), but yesterday Masterson had his usual strong sinkerball and also he enjoyed success with his slider, especially when placed inside to left-handers. Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez, the two best lefty hitters in the Mariners’ order, were a combined 0-for-6 against the 23-year-old, with four of those outs coming on Masterson’s slider.
Nation Notes: Dustin Pedroia was hitless in seven at-bats during the Seattle series. In his last 15 games, he is batting .121 (7 for 58), dropping his average from .304 on May 21 to .263, the lowest its been since April 11. Jacoby Ellsbury took some swings in the batting cage, though he didn’t take live batting practice. He’ll get to that during today’s off day. That might lead to a return to the lineup by tomorrow for the opener of a three-game set with Baltimore at Fenway. The rotation for this weekend in Cincinnati is Justin Masterson Friday, Tim Wakefield Saturday, and Josh Beckett Sunday. Wakefield is being pushed back two days to give him much-needed rest.
