I’m sure Clay Buchholz is a good and decent man. He appears to be happily married with a 4-year-old daughter. He does a lot of charity work. He has never been considered a clubhouse distraction. I have come to the conclusion, however, that this should be his last year with the Red Sox, no matter what happens to Jon Lester.
The ups and downs of Buchholz’s career are well-documented, from a no-hitter in his second major league start all the way to the very disappointing 2014 campaign. Despite a 63-39 overall record and a 3.81 ERA, the righty from Texas has had only one consistently successful season- 2010 with a 17-7 mark and 2.33 ERA. That year he was an AL all-star selection and finished sixth for the league’s Cy Young. However, he has never made more than 29 starts and has been on the DL at least five times.
Buchholz’s failure in Toronto last week was a huge one. On Wednesday the 23rd, the team stood in last place, 8 games behind Baltimore but only 4 1/2 in arrears of the Yankees and Blue Jays, who were tied for second. They had recently won 7 of 8 to produce a glimmer of hope for the postseason. Bucky seemed to be coming around a bit, having fanned 12 in a complete-game effort just before the all-star break.
The game started positively for the Sox, with a massive three-run homer by David Ortiz. It gave the team a rare (for 2014) boost early in the game. It did not take long for things to unravel, however. A single, a four-pitch walk and three more hits later, the score was tied. Boston eventually went ahead, but Buchholz gave it right back with a pair of runs in an eventual 6-4 defeat. He walked 4 and hit two batters (actually, the same one twice). The loss was a huge one. “These games are precious,” wrote Nick Cafardo, “and this one slipped away.” The team went on to lose 5 in a row and fall completely out of contention.
A rather quiet man, Buchholz never blames umpires or bad breaks for his lack of success. But according to Cafardo, “there were no pregame issues or problems during warmups. Buchholz simply came out to pitch the first completely out of synch.” For an 8-year veteran pitching in a pivotal contest, this should not happen.
With the Sox now playing out the string, Bucky will probably stay in the rotation unless injuries crop up again. They may want to showcase him for an offseason deal, though his salary might scare some teams away. His contract has two more years to run.
Last week’s defeat seems to some up Buchholz’s career- the inability to prove himself as a consistent big-league hurler. The Sox’ patience-and they have had a lot with him- may soon run out.
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