Dice on DL

Red Sox manager Terry Francona was about as clear as he could be on Sunday about the near future for Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday’s game with the Braves.

“It was very obvious that we would have to D.L. him,” Francona said. “This is not going to be a two-week D.L. We have to figure this out. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get him back to being Daisuke.”

Matsuzaka was placed on the D.L. Sunday, with the club calling up catcher Dusty Brown to take his place, for the time being. John Smoltz is expected to take Brown’s spot when Smoltz starts Thursday against Washington.

Again on Sunday, Francona said that Matsuzaka and the team believe that his inability to prepare properly for the season and his participation in the WBC played a role in the pitcher’s shoulder weakness.

“It’s hard,” Francona said.  We never were really able to get that foundation. And he’s alluded to that, too. We’ve got to get that figured out because it’s obviously not working.”

Francona said it would be foolish to think missing a start or two would be the solution.

“He’s got some shoulder weakness. I don’t know that you can give him a week off and say, ‘Come back and pitch and your shoulder’s going to be miraculously strong.’”

Francona made it clear that the team has done what it can to make sure that communication doesn’t become a complicating factor.

“I’ve had enough conversations with trying to be cooperative and having players play if they’re able,” Francona said. “But saying that, now we’re down a pitcher.

“We want to have a lot of pitching. And this is a guy, whether it went exactly like it was supposed to, has won 36 games in two years. That’s a lot of (freaking) games. And we don’t have him. So, it’s hard,” Francona added.