Buchholz goes for complete outing in Sox victory
An almost flawless performance resulted in a complete-game performance for Clay Buchholz Friday night as the Red Sox defeated the Indians in Cleveland, 3-2. In a season largely filled with pitching mishaps and disappointments in which the usual aces haven’t been able to live up to their expectations, Buchholz has been a bright spot on the mound. The win for the pitcher and the Sox was the first in their last four games.
Through all nine innings, Buchholz gave up two hits, one earned run, and struck out six batters without giving up a walk. Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera notched both hits for Cleveland, one putting them on the board with a homer in the first inning.
“That’s probably as good as he’s been all year. He’s really turned it around and pitched his butt off,” Cody Ross told the media after the game. Buchholz is now 10-3.
It was Ross who got things going on the offensive side with a two-run homer in the sixth inning that ultimately brought in the winning runs. Boston’s first run came when Dustin Pedroia hit an RBI single that drove in Mike Aviles from third base.
Bright spots:
– In a season plagued with insufficient pitching, Buchholz has been a bright spot since returning from the disabled list in July. A stellar outing from Buchholz puts a bit of faith back in the Sox pitching staff if only for one night. Most of the starting pitching rotation has crumbled this season, with Jon Lester having the worst season in his career and Josh Beckett finding himself in the Boston sports fan doghouse.
“I was able to throw the cutter where I wanted to, the changeup was down all night,” Buchholz told media following his win. “Everything is working and rolling right now for me.”
Downers:
– Despite the win, there wasn’t much celebration for the Sox after the game. Third baseman Will Middlebrooks was struck in the wrist with a 96 mph fastball in the ninth inning and left the game. He was taken to an area hospital for X-rays, and his right wrist is believed to be broken, a bad break for the breakout rookie.
Looking ahead:
The Sox will be looking to take another win from the Indians in Cleveland Saturday as Franklin Morales (3-2) takes to the mound. Morales just returned to the starting rotation last Sunday, but his performance was good enough to keep his spot there. It’ll be Zach McAllister (4-4) pitching for the Indians. While the Sox have dropped seven of their last 10, Cleveland is faring even worse, losing 12 of their last 14 games.
