MANCHESTER, N.H. (Kyodo) Boston Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up five runs in the first inning of a rehab start for Double-A Portland against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Sunday.
Matsuzaka allowed four hits including a leadoff homer and walked three but had a strong second inning and retired the side in order. He struck out two and threw 58 pitches, 49 in the first inning.
"I was only throwing at 65 to 70 percent intensity in the first inning as I was just working on certain things," Matsuzaka said after his second rehab outing since going on the disabled list with a mild right shoulder strain on June 20.
"There aren't any serious problems although I didn't expect to get hit that badly. In the second inning I was much more solid than in my previous rehab start and think I have made the step up," he said.