Will Clay Buchholz Earn Back His Spot In Red Sox Rotation?
BOSTON (CBS) -- After a month-long banishment to the Red Sox bullpen, Clay Buchholz will toe the rubber as Boston's starter on Tuesday night.
The last time Buchholz was penciled in as a starting pitcher was May 26, when he allowed six earned in five innings of work in an 8-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies. He left the rotation 2-5 with a 6.35 ERA, and returns 3-6 with a 5.86 ERA.
As with any stretch of Buchholz's career, he pitched well and he pitched terribly during his stint in the pen. In his five relief appearances he allowed four runs (three earned) off six hits and six walks in 9.1 innings of work. He didn't do much to warrant a return to the rotation, but Boston is pretty much out of options to fill in their five-man rotation. So John Farrell is giving Buchholz another shot to reclaim what he let slip away due to his inconsistencies to start the season.
The big question is, will he take advantage of this opportunity?
Buchholz returns to the rotation after his most impressive showing as a reliever, tossing three scoreless innings during a 5-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles last Thursday. Needless to say, he is happy to be back as a starter.
"I got a little break there for a while and had a chance to work on some stuff. In the midst of that, I had a chance to take a breath and not really worry so much about results but work on the things i needed to work on," he explained to WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Sunday. "I had a good three inning stint the other night, so hopefully that was the key for me to start moving into the right direction on Tuesday."
It's a big start for Buchholz, and a big start for the Red Sox. Whether or not Buchholz can prove he's worthy of a spot in the rotation will help Dave Dombrowski determine if he has to go out and get another starter sooner rather than later, with the MLB trade deadline six weeks away.
"I still feel he has the stuff to be a successful starting pitcher at the major league level so we're looking for him to come out and pitch well for us, keep us competitive on a regular basis when he takes the ball. It has to start [Tuesday], though," Dombrowski said Monday.
Buchholz says he is healthy and feels good about his stuff, but with him you just never know which version of the righty will show up. There's the one who hones in his abilities and doesn't over-think every pitch, the one who won 17 games in 2010 or posted a 1.79 ERA in 16 starts in 2013. Then there's the one who turns into a sweaty puddle on the hill (literally and figuratively) with an ERA hovering near six, the one that has frustrated fans so often because they know the other side of Buchholz exists.
Buchholz knows his Jekyll and Hyde act is wearing thin among the Boston faithful, but he's not going to let the fan reaction get to him come Tuesday evening.
"It is what it is. They expect you to win and when you don't it's tough. I've been part of both ends of the spectrum," he told Roche. "It's part of the game. I've been here long enough that I can go through in my head what I need to do, and if I don't do it -- if I deserve to get booed I get booed. You don't like to hear that from the fans but I can understand it. All it takes is a couple of times out there throwing the ball well, and hopefully all of that switches."
So here comes that chance to flip that switch on Tuesday night. Fortunately for Buchholz, it comes against a struggling Chicago White Sox team that has gone just 11-26 over the last six weeks. He faces an offense that ranks near the bottom of the American League in most categories.
"It's a matter of making big pitches in big situations, and staying away from the long ball. That's what has hurt me this year and I understand that," he said of the 12 dingers he's surrendered so far this season. "That's what I'm trying to stay away from; people are going to hit home runs but if you can stay away from the three or four-run shots, that's all you can do as a pitcher."
Unfortunately for Buchholz, he'll be opposed by Chicago ace Chris Sale. The lefty leads the AL with 11 wins to go with his 2.94 ERA, good for eighth in the AL. Chances are even the powerful Boston offense, which was held to just one run in a 10-inning loss on Monday, won't be giving Buchholz much support.
It will be an uphill battle for Buchholz to really prove he belongs in the Red Sox rotation Tuesday night, but even if he struggles he'll likely get a few more opportunities due to Boston's lack of options. Just keep your expectations low, and Buchholz may surprise you. And if he implodes early in his first start back in the rotation, that shouldn't shock you either.
