Clay’s Big Day

The circus has left town but the Red Sox and Dodgers still have one more exhibition game to play, this time at Dodger Stadium in front of a much smaller crowd. In the final tuneup before the regular season resumes for Boston there will not be much pressure on most of the players. The two exceptions are Tek and Buchholz. Jason Varitek is in the middle of a bad slump and needs to get a hit or just make some solid contact to get his swing going before Tuesday. For Buchholz, this could be a make or break game; if he continues to struggle he may find himself joining el Gordo in Pawtucket for the start of the season. Buchholz has an ERA of 9.35 this spring and has not solidified his spot in the rotation. Tavarez and Snyder have not done much to earn the spot either but both have more experience in the majors. Buchholz was very hyped up in the off season and seen as an instant addition to the roster. Reports of his intensive training before camp had many fans thinking he could be the number 3 guy. Now Buchholz finds himself in the position where he has to go 4-5 solid innings today to earn a spot in the rotation, if he gets shelled again Tito will have a hard choice to make. Today’s game is at 1:10 Pacific but is not on TV, you can listen to it on WEEI, XM, or Gameday Audio.