More Concerns With Dice-K

Daisuke Matsuzaka re-started his Triple-A rehab assignment on Monday for Pawtucket. Matsuzaka lasted 4 2/3 innings for the PawSox and struck out four batters with three walks as he did not give up a run. Matsuzaka allowed just two hits in the performance in his third rehab start. Matsuzaka required 87 pitches and threw 49 (56.3 percent) for strikes. Overall, in his three starts, Matsuzaka has a 2.84 ERA, 14 strikeouts and five walks in 12 2/3 innings. He has yet to pitch five complete innings

Not bad. You would like to see him throw more strikes, but we have come to kind of expect that from Dice-K. What is concerning is there are reports that his velocity dropped during his outing, and he even admitted there are days where his elbow feels better then other days. You don't want to go overboard here, and start thinking he needs to be shutdown or anything, but I do feel this shows he needs more time in the minors. He needs to show that the elbow is 100%, because calling him up to the majors and having him push it isn't good for anyone. I am with DP that I think Dice-K could actually be a very nice addition at some point this season, but we may need to delay that a little bit.