The Diceman Cometh
Tuesday’s game at McCoy just became a hot ticket as Daisuke Matsuzaka is expected to be on the mound for the PawSox.
The 28-year-old righty, who has been out with a mild shoulder strain since April 15th, will be limited to 3 innings or roughly 45-50 pitches.
Dice-K made one rehab appearance for the PawSox last year, but it was at Lehigh Valley. A packed house endured a 2:10 rain delay before watching Matsuzaka toss 5 solid innings in the only minor league game of his career.
Matsuzaka was 18-3 for the Red Sox last year, and is 33-16 in his big league career. Don’t miss the chance to see him for $6 bucks (or $10 if you want to splurge on a box seat) on Tuesday night.
Dice-K is one of three Boston players who is expected to suit up for the PawSox over the next few days.
Mark Kotsay will likely be in the Pawtucket lineup on Saturday afternoon. The 12-year major league vet had back surgery to repair a displaced disc in January.
And Rocco “The Woonsocket Rocket” Baldelli is expected to be the PawSox DH on Monday as he returns from a hamstring injury. Baldelli hasn’t played at McCoy Stadium since he was a senior at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick.
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Over the years, several starting pitchers have had “personal” catchers (Steve Carlton/Tim McCarver, Greg Maddux/Eddie Perez, Tim Wakefield/Guy Other Than Jason Varitek).
Well, Cincinnati Reds pitchers might want to consider adding yours truly to the broadcast team.
Consider:
In 2003, Danny Graves switched from being the Reds closer to a member of their starting rotation and went 4-15 with a 5.33 ERA. But on May 14th, I subbed for Marty Brennaman on the radio and called Graves’ only major league shutout — a 4-hitter against the Cardinals.
Eric Milton ranks as the biggest free agent bust in Reds history. After signing a 3-year, $25 million contract before the 2005 season, he went 16-27 with a 5.83 ERA. But on July 31, 2005, I subbed for George Grande on TV and Milton tossed 7 scoreless innings in a 7-1 win over the Padres.
My mojo continued last night. Bronson Arroyo entered the game with a 6.48 ERA and was coming off a 9-run debacle against Atlanta in his last start. He promptly tossed 8 scoreless innings in Cincinnati’s 4-0 win over the Pirates.
OK, I know I had nothing to do with it. Pittsburgh hasn’t scored a run in its last 22 innings, and Arroyo improved to 4-1 this season.
His performance was great, but the most spectacular thing I saw last night was simply the view from the radio booth at PNC Park.
I had a nice chat with Brandon Moss yesterday and plan to interview him this afternoon for a future edition of PawSox Insider. He had great news — he’s going to be a dad!
He and his wife Ally had just listened to the baby’s heartbeat on Thursday and the due date is November 7th. They’ll learn whether it’s a boy or girl in 4 weeks.
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There’s a PawSox connection to the Kentucky Derby today — Jeff Corsaletti’s parents, Art and Cathy, will be in attendance.
Corso’s sister won box seat tickets to the Derby in a raffle and his mom took care of the rest as a 60th birthday present for his dad.
I used to cover the Kentucky Derby every year when I was a TV sports anchor in Cincinnati. I highly recommend it as a thing to do once in your lifetime if you can swing it.
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I’ll be listening to Steve and Steve (Hyder and McDonald) this afternoon to see if the PawSox can score a few runs.
If you want to check out my broadcast tonight at 7:05, try 700-AM on the radio dial. On a clear night, WLW can be heard in 38 states, earning the nicknames “The Big One” or “The Nation’s Station.”
I’d love to hear from you. The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.
Heard It From Hoard 
Love the blog. Can’t wait to read your take on how the season progresses.