This deep outing was striking

Matsuzaka shows improved control

Before last night's game against the Twins, Red Sox manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell talked about wanting Daisuke Matsuzaka to pitch deep into the game.

"We said, 'Boy, we'd like to let Daisuke get comfortable and let him go out there and pitch," Francona said after the 1-0 Sox win.

It came true. Matsuzaka pitched 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball while striking out five and allowing six hits and three walks.

It was Matsuzaka's longest scoreless outing since throwing a career-high eight shutout innings July 3 last year against Tampa Bay. Matsuzaka had gone five innings last Wednesday at Tampa Bay, and in the three games before that he threw five, one, and four innings.

"Of all our starting pitchers, I'm the only one who hasn't been able to get really deep into the games, so what I've been trying to do is go deep into the game and help out the bullpen, and I think that tempo that you see is one of the results of that," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter.

His night ended in the eighth after he allowed a single to Joe Mauer on his 108th pitch, an 80-mile-per-hour cutter. When the count was 1-2 to Mauer, Farrell called the bullpen and Craig Hansen and Hideki Okajima started warming up.

Okajima got the call with two runners on - Mauer and Alexi Casilla, who singled to extend his hitting streak to 14 games - and he walked Justin Morneau to load the bases.

Okajima has struggled this season when asked to come into games with runners on base, having permitted 12 of his previous 15 inherited runners to score.

With one out, Okajima got Craig Monroe to foul to first and Delmon Young to ground into a 4-6 fielder's choice.

"What he has done for us in the past, coming in and finishing up an inning and even going back out for another inning, was such a valuable weapon in our bullpen, and for him to get out of that tonight was big for him," Francona said.

Matsuzaka said he doesn't like leaving runners on for relievers.

"In that situation, I always feel bad for having to pass the ball along in such a tough spot," he said. "And I also felt some disappointment in myself."

When Matsuzaka did leave with two runners on, he went behind the bench to watch how Okajima fared.

The superstition seemed to work as Okajima improved to 2-2 with the win.

"Watching from back there seems to work better when the guy behind me is trying to hold the runners," Matsuzaka said.

Matsuzaka threw 71 strikes. His fastball worked well and his confidence showed.

"I would think that just about every pitcher in the major leagues, when they're commanding their fastball, it sets up everything else," said Francona, who praised Matsuzaka's fastball, cutter, and slider, saying they challenged hitters.

"You locate your fastball, even when it's not your best fastball, you have a chance, but when you're throwing with finish on it and you're locating it, you should throw with confidence."

Francona said there was talk among the staff last week about putting Matsuzaka on the American League All-Star team.

Matsuzaka didn't make the All-Star roster, which included seven members of the Red Sox, despite his 9-1 record.

But he did have his best game right before the break.

And more importantly, he got comfortable like Francona and Farrell hoped he would.

"For me personally, no matter what my pitch count is, I want to go deep into the game," Matsuzaka said. "And I always wish I could be in there a little longer."