Boston Red Sox (0-4) @ Cleveland Indians (2-2)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-0, -.–) @ Mitch Talbot (0-0, -.–)
7:05 PM EDT | Progressive Field (Cleveland, Ohio)
TV: NESN RADIO: WEEI 850, SBN 1510
INJURY REPORT
Boston: Felix Doubront, left elbow inflammation (placed on 15-day DL 3/31, retroactive to 3/22)
Cleveland: Jason Donald, fractured left index finger (placed on 15-day DL 3/30, retroactive to 3/22); Grady Sizemore, left knee surgery (placed on 15-day DL 3/30, retroactive to 3/29); Joe Smith, abdominal strain (placed on 15-day DL 3/30, retroactive to 3/22)
GAME NOTES
Daisuke Matsuzaka tries to do tonight what ever other Red Sox pitcher has failed to do so far, pitch the team to a win. Suddenly, I feel very depressed. If there is one encouraging thing though, it is Dice-K’s career numbers against the Tribe. He has made five career starts against them and has averaged about 7 innings per start against them and just less than two runs allowed and maybe most encouraging is he has averaged two walks per start. Last year, especially he dominated the Indians. In both starts against them, he went 8 innings allowing one run total. Dice-K as a stopper? Stranger things have happened. The lineup stays the same as last night, except that the Jason Varitek is getting his first start of the season in the place of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
LINEUPS
Boston
Crawford LF
Pedroia 2B
Gonzalez 1B
Youkilis 3B
Ortiz DH
Drew RF
Varitek C
Scutaro SS
Cleveland
Brantley CF
A. Cabrera SS
Choo RF
Santana C
Hafner DH
O. Cabrera 2B
Buck LF
LaPorta 1B
Hannahan 3B
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Today is the 40th birthday of everyone’s favorite Pawtucket-to-Boston traveler, Lou Merloni. A local guy through and through, Merloni was born in Framingham, attended Providence College, and spent parts of six seasons with the Red Sox, and now resides on the WEEI mid-day show, “Mut and Merloni”.
To quote the birthday boy, last night he tweeted “Nobody should panic, but it doesn’t mean what we are watching is OK!! There’s a big difference.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Lou.