The last time Matt Harrison got on a mound, he was touched for seven runs in just three innings by the Toronto Blue Jays.

The lefty put the first six batters he faced on base, three of them on walks. For a guy that had stayed aggressive with hitters and threw strikes, it was unusual. Harrison admitted that he was nibbling and then had trouble getting his command back on track. His team scored some runs for him to close the gap, but he turned around and gave them back in the third inning, ending his outing. He just couldn't figure things out long enough to give them some more innings.

So now we'll see how he responds. In the past, a rough inning or rough outing would cause Harrison to struggle going forward.

In 2010, Harrison gave up six runs on five hits in four innings to Boston in his third start, beginning a four-start stretch in which he had a 7.71 ERA and eventually landed on the DL. He returned and was in the bullpen.

But Harrison has worked very hard on the mental part of the game and believes that he's a different all-around player than he was in 2009 and 2010, when he started the season in the rotation but didn't last.

Harrison needs to make sure he doesn't back down today. In other words, come out and throw strikes and let his defense help him. It was the same recipe that helped him to four straight quality starts to begin the season and a 3-1 record.