Buchholz lasts 4.2 against Blue Jays, fans getting frustrated
By Jon Mael
Buchholz allowed four earned in four and two thirds last night, Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
What happened to Clay Buchholz?
The Red Sox lost their sixth straight game last night, 6-4, with Buchholz allowing four earned runs on four and two thirds innings pitched, he walked off the Fenway field to a less-than warm reception from the 36,116 in attendance. Buchholz now stands at 2-4 with a 6.32 ERA through nine starts and at times he has looked uncomfortable or even lost at the mound, and has shown no ability to locate his change-up.
In fact, you could see signs of impending issues in the postseason last year, where Buchholz gave up 11 runs in 16.2 innings pitched against Tampa and Detroit, and only made it four innings in his only World Series start (he didn’t allow a run, however).
So far this year, it’s been pretty disastrous. Buchholz made 16 starts last year and allowed 75 hits. This season, through nine starts, he’s already allowed 71. It is widely acknowledged that last year is impossible to replicate, but this is tough to take. This guy was supposed to be the number two starter heading into the season, coming off a year when he had a 1.74 ERA, and now he has an ERA over six and is pitching in the fifth spot of the rotation, it’s been a pretty drastic fall.
In today’s Boston Globe, Buchholz denied that he was hurt, but did say that he is having major location issues, claiming, “It’s tough to go out there and when you miss with one pitch it gets hit every time. That’s sort of where I’m at right now.” The Red Sox had visions of Buccholz as one of the cornerstones of the franchise, possibly taking the number one spot if Jon Lester walks in the offseason, but now the ace stuff that he had last season seems to have vanished.
When asked what he needed to fix, Buchholz told the Globe, “I guess that’s the question. I don’t know, obviously, I’m trying. I’m not going out there trying to give up home runs to every guy who walks up to the plate.”
Jerry Thornton said it best of The Big Show, Unfiltered yesterday by saying that Buchholz is “the perfect sixth starter.” He has just not shown the ability to stay consistently healthy and effective, but has shown flashes of brilliance. He is owed $38.5 million over the next three seasons and if he continues on this trend, he won’t be worth half of that. So far this season, when he takes the mound, it’s not a must see event, it’s something that you close your eyes for and hope for the best.