Roche: Buchholz Accusations Laughable
BOSTON (CBS) - The accusations against Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz are pretty funny. I mean, whatever happened to the "thinking before speaking" adage?
Buchholz is off to a fantastic start. The right-hander is 6-0 with a 1.01 ERA in six games. In 44.2 innings, he's given up just 27 hits, 5 earned runs, and 16 walks while striking out 47.
Much can be attributed to confidence, John Farrell's guidance, and health.
And, oh yeah, cheating.
Read: Buchholz Accused Of Doctoring Baseball
Cheating? Are you kidding me?
Watch Buchholz and you watch a kid who brings no-hit stuff to the mound on many nights. For numerous reasons, mostly health, he just hasn't pitched himself into elite status.
If you've watched him this year, you can see a guy who's stuff has been real good, especially his fastball, which has had some very solid movement to it.
But cheating? Throwing a spitter? I don't see it.
His stuff doesn't match doctoring the baseball. He's not like a Gaylord Perry, who's ball would dart and sink down. Clay's pitches don't do that.
If you saw him on Wednesday, you could see him openly going through a routine of trying to keep his fingers dry. In the open! Why wasn't he once questioned by Blue Jays hitters or manager John Gibbons? And, Buchholz has always had a sweating/gripping problem during his career.
Read: Buchholz Named AL Pitcher Of The Month
It's also not his fault that the disappointing Blue Jays aren't hitting.
So, if I'm Clay Buchholz, I'd ham it up, make them wonder. Is he dong something? That's what Perry did and it got inside hitter's heads. Use the accusation to your advantage.
Any advantage you can get, right?
Laughable.
Follow WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.
