The Boston Globe is reporting that the Sox may bring Clay Buchholz back up to the big club this weekend to start against the Yankees. He would replace Masterson in the rotation.
“The idea was to work on fastball command,” Francona said of Buchholz’s stint in Pawtucket. “Consistency, and we slightly adjusted his arm angle to create two-seam movement.
“We didn’t want to run him down there for just one or two starts. We made him throw his fastball. I don’t know if it was a hard count, but we told him, ‘Make yourself do this.’ “
Buchholz’s changeup and curve are so good, he could fall back on those pitches to get hitters out, which is why the Sox told him not to worry about results, Francona said.
But the results have been there as well, which would seem to guarantee Buchholz a seat on the shuttle to Boston, sooner rather than later.
For either Materson or Buchholz it is going to be a pressure filled situation to pitch in the Bronx when the Sox are desperately in need of some wins. This could be great for Clay’s confidence if he can pitch well in New York but it could also have the fans and media really questioning Theo and Tito if he comes up and gets shelled.
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