You never like to give up 10 runs and 15 hits. But scoring 18 runs off 23 hits sort of makes up for it... sort of.
The Jason Varitek ballwashers out there will point out that this was Buchholz's worst outing in '09, and it was also Victor Martinez who was calling the pitches. But let's not forget how awful Buchholz could be in '08. He'd frequently mow down opponents, and have one or two bad innings. And also, when was the last time Varitek had 4 RBI in one game?
But Buchholz is a potential worry. As lights out as he can be in AAA, he's yet to demonstrate he has what it takes to be a Major League starter. Plus with two guys "competing" for the #5 spot (Penny and Smoltz), the Sox might find their rotation to be quite bottom heavy down the stretch run.
Beating up on Baltimore is nice, and a necessary step to win the AL East, but the Sox need to be on their A-Game for the rest of August. The Sox face .500+ opponents in their next 23 straight games. 7 of those games are against the Yankees.
But before New York, it's Tampa Bay. The Sox have a short 2 game series down there. Jon Lester faces Matt Garza Tuesday night.
Source:
ESPN.com
Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Nick Wass
