Sox hang tough in what could be costly victory

RED SOX 6, Indians 2 Playoff teams usually include at least one ``X-factor'' they hope can pop up out of the blue as a surprise October contributor. If his performance last night was any indication, Daisuke Matsuzaka has as good of a shot as anyone on the Red Sox roster to come out of the shadows and turn into that X-factor. Not that Matsuzaka was particularly brilliant or dominating in the Red Sox' 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians, but he did show enough signs of escape artistry (circa 2007 and '08) that he seems eminently capable of coming to the rescue at some point later this month. Matsuzaka allowed two runs on five hits and three walks in six innings. He prevented seven of the nine Indians who reached base against him from scoring. The pitcher with 33 wins in his first two major league seasons once again showed an uncanny ability to first create, and then dissolve, base-clogging jams. In four starts since he returned from exile in Fort Myers for a Sept. 15 activation from the disabled list, Matsuzaka owns a 3-1 record with a 2.22 ERA. The right-hander is making a strong case to be considered for an October start or two. ``Throughout those (four) starts I was able to work on points that I felt were going to be important going into the playoffs, and I had a really good feel for those points,'' said Matsuzaka, who lasted 104 pitches and struck out seven. ``I'm not sure yet what my role will be during the playoffs but I'm looking forward to them. The most important point was being able to battle with runners on base and I think that's my real strength. Even in a jam, being able to make the pitch I need to make, and I was able to get a feel for that.'' There were a pair of potentially concerning casualties from the game. After preliminary X-rays were inclusive, shortstop Alex Gonzalez will undergo a complete set of images on his right hand this morning. Gonzalez was hit by a Kerry Wood pitch in the eighth inning. Outfielder Rocco Baldelli, meanwhile, is listed as day-to-day after straining his left hip flexor while running to first base in the fourth inning. Matsuzaka did not face serious trouble until the fifth. A pair of RBI singles preceded his loading the bases with two outs. The inning ended when Shin-Soo Choo struck out swinging. An inning later, with runners on first and second and two outs, Matsuzaka again got a swinging strikeout, this time of Kelly Shoppach. The Choo strikeout, like the one of Jhonny Peralta an inning earlier, came on a slider. ``I think every game he's pitched, it seems like his slider has become not only maybe more consistent but certainly (has) more depth to it,'' manager Terry Francona said. ``It's the pitch that we've kind of become accustomed to enjoy to watch. It was a pretty good pitch.'' The Red Sox' runs came across in the first, third and seventh innings, with the highlights being run-scoring doubles by Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis. Jacoby Ellsbury stole his 69th base of the season in the first inning and scored a pair of runs. With the postseason drawing near, Matsuzaka's work drew the most attention. ``From the time I came back to the point that we clinched our playoff spot, I wanted to do my best to contribute,'' Matsuzaka said. ``But during the whole time that I was on the DL, I trained with October in mind, so I still have some work to do.'' - msilverman@bostonherald.com