The Sox and Rays were facing off this afternoon for the second game of the series. Clay Buchholz was toeing the rubber for the Sox and Alex Cobb for the Rays. Buchholz had already pitched two stellar outings against the Yankees and the O's and the Rays were next on the list.
Buchholz definitely kept the good times rolling. Buch not only dominated the lineup, but took a no no bid into the 8th inning. Clay was in complete control and got a huge standing ovation in the 8th when Johnson singled to put the hope of the no hitter to bed. Buchholz's line for the night was 109 pitches, 8 IP, 0 R, 4 BB and 11 Ks. You read that right…ELEVEN Ks! It was an amazing performance to watch. If Lester and Buchholz continue to lead the pitching staff with performances like that, it has the chance to be a pretty good year.
(Photo Credit: AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
The Sox bats were able to get Clay a lead in the 3rd inning and everything coasted from there. The Sox loaded the bases with no outs. Napoli hit an RBI double to center to score both Ells and Victorino. Sox 2-0. Nava got hit by a pitch to reload the bases and then Middlebrooks hit into a groundout. Drew came to the plate and hit a grounder that should have been an out, but through some poor fielding by Tampa, the Sox were able to score 2 more runs. Sox 4-0. Thanks for the help Rays! The Sox were able to add one more run in the bottom of the 8th with a Middlebrooks sac fly. Sox 5-0.
What a great game to be at! Buchholz didn't get the no hitter, but he continued to show some crazy good pitching dominance. He left the game sporting a 0.41 ERA.
Dirty Water for Everyone!
Red Sox 5 Rays 0 BOXSCORE
WP: Buchholz (3-0) LP: Cobb (1-1)
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