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Matsuzaka, Lowrie and Ellsbury Power Red Sox to 9-1 Victory over Blue Jays

In a rare morning start on Patriots Day, Daisuke Matsuzaka came out firing and looked like a new man after his implosion against the Tampa Bay Rays last week. Over seven innings, Matsuzaka was stingy, giving up 1 hit and needing just 89 pitches to send Jays hitters back to the dugout empty-handed time after time. The righty was on top of his game all afternoon and retired the final 16 batters he faced in a 9-1 Sox win.

As well as Daisuke pitched, he did not have to win the game by himself: against Ricky Romero, the Red Sox bats exploded. Jed Lowrie went 4-5 with a home run, and four RBI. Jacoby Ellsbury hit his fourth home run of the year and Carl Crawford, after going 0-4, hit a double off the Monster. Jason Varitek was the only regular not to record a hit in the game, but he did reach base with a walk.

Blue Jays manager John Farrell knew what the Red Sox were capable of before arriving in Boston with his new team. With any luck he surely hoped the Boston bats would remain quiet and his Jays could get in a few victories against a slumping lineup. By early Monday afternoon, the Red Sox had taken three out of four against their Canadian opponents. More importantly, they won three in a row for the first time this season.

Sox Stud of the Game: Jed Lowrie

Daisuke Matsuzaka showed rare form Monday by getting through seven innings with fewer than 90 pitches, but the man without a position, Jed Lowrie, continued to hit at a torrid pace. In his limited playing time this season, Lowrie is batting an absurd .516/.545/.774 with 8 runs scored and 9 RBI.

Sox Dud of the Game:  Carl Crawford

The speedy left fielder is still lost at the plate. As a player who is not likely to draw many walks, Crawford needs to swing the bat to get on base. So far, he’s still in a rough patch, but to prevent going 0 for the series against the Blue Jays, Crawford managed to slug a wall ball double while hitting in the seven hole.

Game Notes:

W: Matsuzaka (1-2)
L: Romero (1-2)

• With two hits, Kevin Youkilis raised his batting average to .213 and his (non-Jed Lowrie) team-leading .422 OBP.
• Marco Scutaro was given the day off and is likely to see more time on the sidelines while Lowrie is on fire.
• Backup starters/long relievers Alfredo Aceves and Tim Wakefield each pitched an inning in the contest. Aceves did not allow a base runner while Wakefield gave up one hit, a homer in the 9th.

About Mike Carlucci

Mike Carlucci writes about the Red Sox for Sports of Boston and can be found blogging about baseball and technology. He has a J.D and enjoys palindromes and espresso. You can follow him on Twitter @mikecarlucci or on Google+.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Toronto Blue Jays