The Boston Red Sox started the 2016 season with a new ace on their pitching staff. That man is David Price. The 2012 Cy Young winner was a splashy new addition at the top of their rotation. Behind him, however, most Red Sox fans saw a lot of familiar faces; one of those faces being Clay Buchholz. The Texas native has had a rocky past on the mound. Some high points include a no-hitter he pitched in 2007 and a World Series ring in 2013. The righty has also been demoted to the minor leagues more than once over the course of his decade-long career. For fans, it's hard to tell which Buchholz the Red Sox were getting in 2016.
The early results were not pretty. Buchholz started the season as the team's fifth starter. In 10 starts, he went 2-5 with an ERA of 6.35 -- cringeworthy numbers. It was even harder to watch with only two of those 10 starts lasting at least seven innings. It was evident Buchholz was struggling.
Accordingly, Red Sox manager John Farrell had to make a move. He optioned Buchholz to the bullpen with the hope that it would be "a chance for Clay to take a breather," Farrell said in a radio interview with WEEI's Tim Neverett. Farrell also explained that he knows Buchholz has good stuff, but "any mistake he's making is resulting in multiple home runs ... It's been somewhat of the trend over the course of the season so far." So to the bullpen Buchholz went.
The move to the bullpen, from a statistical standpoint, was a good one. In five appearances Buchholz posted a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 2.89. Not amazing, but much improved from his 10 previous appearances. With that in mind and Eduardo Rodríguez struggling, Farrell gave Buchholz another shot in the rotation. Unfortunately, Buchholz couldn't carry his success in the bullpen over to a starting role and would lose his next three opportunities on the hill. In those three starts, he posted an ERA just above 6.00, and the trade rumors began to swirl.
For 19 days Buchholz did not make an appearance for the Red Sox. "He's in a tough spot ... We've played very good winning baseball. We've gotten starts deeper into ballgames where the bullpen has been rested and that's where the decisions have been made," Farrell said at a press conference before a game with the Twins in July. One might interpret that to mean the Red Sox are winning because Buchholz isn't pitching. When asked about his role on the team in a WEEI interview, Buchholz held nothing back. "It stinks to not do well, and it stinks to have the fans criticize you or say you're not good enough. So what you want to do is go out there and prove to everybody that you can" Getting overlooked in the bullpen for 19 days may have lit a fire under Buchholz. In his next eight outings from the bullpen, he looked like a different pitcher.
Now, one would think that if you're pitching well, winning games, and not giving up home runs you should probably stay where you've found your niche. After three solid starts, it began to seem like Buchholz was heating up at the right time and would be a big help for the Red Sox as they make their playoff push. It seemed as if he had finally settled in when John Farrell optioned him back to the bullpen in favor of All-Star knuckleballer Steven Wright. Wright was coming off the DL after injuring his shoulder pinch-running. There is speculation that he might have come back too soon and the stats from his last two starts back it up. He has posted an ERA slightly above 8.00 and did not come away with a win.
Buchholz, on the other hand, after being sent to the bullpen for the third time this season is doing his best to maintain the success he was having. It's clear, however, that high-pressure situations are not Buchholz's specialty.
Should he have stayed in the rotation while Wright nursed a still-sore shoulder? Will Buchholz have the iron will necessary for the eighth inning in crucial close games by his team? Time will tell. I can tell you this: Buchholz is a starting pitcher, not a closer. It doesn't take an expert to figure that one out.
