Red Sox give Buchholz big chance vs. D-backs
Injuries have forced Boston manager John Farrell to cobble together the back end of his rotation at the moment. One of the fill-ins, though, is far from a stranger to the starting five.
Clay Buchholz gets another chance to redeem himself in tonight’s tilt vs. Arizona, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch at Fenway Park. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the host team odds of -195 to prevail. Conversely, the Diamondbacks enter as +175 underdogs. The over/under run total rests at 10.5.
Two seasons removed from an All-Star Game appearance, Buchholz now finds himself at an interesting career crossroads. After an atrocious April, he was banished to the bullpen. Yet his last six relief outings have gone extremely well, raising the question of where he ultimately fits best.
For this evening, it’s back in a starting capacity. The righty receives the nod in place of Steven Wright, who continues to battle shoulder inflammation. Buchholz will attempt to slow down an Arizona group that’s playing some of its best baseball of the season. Prior to yesterday’s 9-4 defeat, the D-backs had captured four in a row.
Can Archie Bradley give a representative effort on the hill, though? The former top prospect is 1-4 with a plus-4.00 ERA over his last nine appearances. Bradley was particularly ineffective in his most recent outing, a 9-3 no-decision against Milwaukee.
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The time is now for the Red Sox to begin rounding into form. With the Blue Jays, Orioles and even Yankees jumbling up the AL East picture, a 4-6 August simply won’t get the job done. Buchholz’s rustiness could be a concern in a short while, but that prolific offense should swat enough balls over the Green Monster to make the ultimate difference.
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