It seems like everyone has always had criticism for Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher. Whether they point out his young age, his height, the unworthy hype he receives, or anything else, people are always ready to point out his flaws.
This past Wednesday, having taken the mound for just the 7th time in 2009, he faced off against Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers in baseball. This was a game that mattered very much, and the Blue Jays were favored to win it.
Despite the expectations, Buchholz came out and looked like Halladay usually looks. Allowing just 1 ER in 6.0 innings pitched, Buchholz outshone the all-star Halladay, who gave up 4 ER in only 5.0 IP. Buchholz is a work in progress, but has continuously improved during his stint with the Sox in 2009.
While Buchholz's performance against Halladay is obviously impressive, the two starts before this one were nearly as difficult. One was against CC Sabathia of the Yankees. During this game, Buccholz only allowed two earned runs in six innings pitched. The other one was against Justin Verlander of the Tigers, in which case Buchholz surrendered just one earned run in seven innings pitched. Simply put, he's been solid.
While there have been struggles - namely a horrendous outing against Baltimore before this stretch of quality starts - Buchholz (2-3, 3.99 ERA) has been pitching well enough to keep his spot until Tim Wakefield and/or Daisuke Matsusaka returns and deserves credit for filling a hole left by John Smoltz's abysmal run in a Red Sox uniform.
This may have something to do with the fact that the trade deadline has now passed. Leading up to the July 30th deadline, Buchholz was the talk of many potential deals that would have sent him to another team.
Each time he takes the mound, Buchholz is looking more and more like a future force to be reckoned with. He's maturing before our very eyes at the young age of 25, and it should be a pleasure to see him develop from here.
The Red Sox are sorely in need of a reliable starting pitcher. With Matsuzaka and Wakefield sidelined, and Smoltz back down in the minors, there couldn't be a better time for Buchholz to establish himself as a steady hand in Boston's rotation.
This past Wednesday, having taken the mound for just the 7th time in 2009, he faced off against Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers in baseball. This was a game that mattered very much, and the Blue Jays were favored to win it.
Despite the expectations, Buchholz came out and looked like Halladay usually looks. Allowing just 1 ER in 6.0 innings pitched, Buchholz outshone the all-star Halladay, who gave up 4 ER in only 5.0 IP. Buchholz is a work in progress, but has continuously improved during his stint with the Sox in 2009.
While Buchholz's performance against Halladay is obviously impressive, the two starts before this one were nearly as difficult. One was against CC Sabathia of the Yankees. During this game, Buccholz only allowed two earned runs in six innings pitched. The other one was against Justin Verlander of the Tigers, in which case Buchholz surrendered just one earned run in seven innings pitched. Simply put, he's been solid.
While there have been struggles - namely a horrendous outing against Baltimore before this stretch of quality starts - Buchholz (2-3, 3.99 ERA) has been pitching well enough to keep his spot until Tim Wakefield and/or Daisuke Matsusaka returns and deserves credit for filling a hole left by John Smoltz's abysmal run in a Red Sox uniform.
This may have something to do with the fact that the trade deadline has now passed. Leading up to the July 30th deadline, Buchholz was the talk of many potential deals that would have sent him to another team.
Each time he takes the mound, Buchholz is looking more and more like a future force to be reckoned with. He's maturing before our very eyes at the young age of 25, and it should be a pleasure to see him develop from here.
The Red Sox are sorely in need of a reliable starting pitcher. With Matsuzaka and Wakefield sidelined, and Smoltz back down in the minors, there couldn't be a better time for Buchholz to establish himself as a steady hand in Boston's rotation.
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