NESN gave us another opportunity to view Dice-K's offerings, and it proved to be a mixed bag. In the first inning, he blended a combination of hard stuff with a dazzling changeup reminiscent of Pedro Martinez. After that, he scuffled, with the worst location, 'wild in the strike zone'.
Sox fans practically fell out of our seats seeing him throwing in the bullpen afterwards.
The Sox offense wasn't great, although Kevin Youkilis looks like he's got his stroke down. If Youk can cut down on his strikeouts and maintain his strength all season, I think .300 with 18 homers and 80 RBI out of the two hole would be doable.
Julio Lugo continues to show good energy out of the leadoff spot, and Joel Pineiro had a pair of scoreless innings as he continues the transition to relief duty and the competition for the closer role.
At least on my screen, NESN had audio problems for most of the game, with the field microphones louder than the broadcast. John Henry and Tom Werner reacted to the tremendous anticipation for the upcoming season, but I haven't felt pennant fever at my workplace, yet.
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