Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz
shined vs. the Blue Jays (MLB)
The Boston Red Sox yesterday beat the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 2-1 behind a masterful performance by starter Clay Buchholz, who gave up only one run in eight innings of work (and none after the first). Long-time readers will recall a spring training piece last year at which the “new” Buchholz was in evidence; this outing was every bit of that and worthy of as much cautious optimism for this year as you can muster.
The rest of the contest, however, was as perplexing and unsatisfying as any we have seen to date. In what may be considered a microcosm of the 2010 season so far, the winning run was tallied on a bases-loaded walk by Mike Lowell, who again pinch-hit for David Ortiz. No offensive fireworks, no more blind faith in Ortiz’s ability to deliver in the clutch, and absolutely no margin for error. Just another one-run game (their sixth in a row) and, again against one of the league’s weaker sisters, another step back toward respectability.
The series wraps up tonight as the Sox’s Jon Lester faces the Jays’ Brett Cecil in a battle of lefties. A Boston win earns the club a sweep and the lofty winning percentage of .500, our first consolation after such a rough start – or maybe the second after Buchholz’s solid outing.
See the Blue Jays Examiner for the opposing viewpoint and our two Red Sox Examiners here and here!
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