Matsuzaka Not Untouchable; Roughed Up By O's

In the majors, $103 million gets you the superstar-du-jour, but comes with no guarantee's. Daisuke Matsuzaka received a rude welcome to MLB hitting in just his second Grapefruit League start. After cruising through the first 2 innings against the best Baltimore had to offer, Matsuzaka ran into trouble in a hurry. Jon Knott (oh what fun we could have with that name), a 12-game major leaguer, homered to lead off the third. Things got worse in the next frame. Miggy led off with a single, then Dice-K threw the potential double-play come-backer past Lugo into the outfield. After a Corey Patterson sac fly, Jason Dubois jacked a 90 MPH fastball out of the park.

Two home runs coming from two non-roster Orioles is not what Theo and company had in mind when they blew the market away with a $51 million bid, followed by a $52 million contract. Matsuzaka arrived in the States preceded by a near mythical reputation for his talent and his "gyro-ball." While living up to the hype against Boston College and Florida last week, Dice-K joined the ranks of us mortals today. There is little doubt Matsuzaka has the stuff to make it in MLB. Today may have been the worst we'll see out of him, but we definitely have not seen the best yet.