Red Sox place Matsuzaka on disabled list

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2009

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) — The Boston Red Sox placed Daisuke Matsuzaka on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday, but said the right-handed hurler could be sidelined longer.

"This is not going to be a two-week DL," manager Terry Francona said. "We have to figure this out. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get him back to being Daisuke."

Expensive Japanese import Matsuzaka is 1-5 in eight starts with an 8.23 earned run average. Opponents are batting .378 against him.

That's compared to last season, when he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA major league-best .211 batting average by opponents.

Matsuzaka was diagnosed with a mild right shoulder strain. On Saturday he had an MRI exam that showed no structural damage, but the Red Sox had already decided he would miss at...