Kuzul

Through the first six seasons of Clay Buchholz's major league career, he profiled as a good pitcher. His career ERA of 3.92 was 13 percent above league average, he struck out nearly two batters for every one he walked and surrendered less than one hit per inning.If he could stay healthy—no easy task considering his injury history—Boston could look forward to a 28-year-old pitcher coming into his physical prime giving its rotation quality innings through at least 2015, and possibly even longer if contract options were exercised for 2016 and 2017.Few outside of Buchholz's immediate family and closest friends could have imagined what's happened early on in 2013. The former first-round pick has gone from good to great, on the verge of becoming baseball's next great superstar ace.Of course, the early success comes with skepticism and controversy.While it's impossible to know for sure if Buchholz is or was doctoring the baseball, this ...

Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz is the early favorite for the American League Cy Young Award. He's won each of his first six starts, racking up a major league-best 1.01 ERA along the way.And he's doing it all because he's a no-good cheater.This according to longtime pitcher and current Toronto Blue Jays TV analyst Jack Morris. Also accusing Buchholz of cheating is former major league pitcher, current Blue Jays radio analyst and fantastic writer, Dirk Hayhurst. Morris and Hayhurst believe Buchholz is doctoring the baseball, and their accusations should not be written off as mere sour grapes. The two of them actually have a case.But first let's hear the arguments.The accusations stem from Buchholz's most recent start against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday. He went seven innings and allowed only two hits while striking out eight.As far as Buchholz's performances this season go, it was a ...

Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz, the American League Pitcher of the Month for April, has been accused of doctoring baseballs during his victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday night.Buchholz tossed seven scoreless innings in the series opener and limited the Jays to two hits as Boston won convincingly, 10-1. He improved to 6-0 on the season with a 1.01 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 47 SO. With this latest dominant performance, the 28-year-old was looking like an early favorite for the 2013 AL Cy Young Award.But now, Buchholz and Red Sox personnel have some explaining to do.Former major league pitcher Dirk Hayhurst called attention to a suspicious substance on the pitcher's left forearm. Hayhurst happens to be a broadcaster for Sportsnet, the Canadian sports channel that carries the Blue Jays games. He compares Buchholz to Eddie Harris, the notorious cheater from the 1989 movie Major League: Forget the ...

Boston Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz has jumped out to arguably the best start of any pitcher in baseball this season. While it is unlikely he will keep up his current torrid pace, signs indicate that he can continue contributing outstanding production. The 28-year-old right-hander is off to the finest start of his career, having posted a 5-0 record and 1.19 ERA in his first five starts. In 37.2 innings, he has allowed just 25 hits while striking out 39 and walking 13. Additionally, he has gone at least seven innings in each of his starts and has given up two or fewer runs each time. Pitching in his seventh major league season, he is 51-32 with a 3.77 ERA in 112 career games (110 starts) but has struggled with health and inconsistency. The only two seasons he had as many as 16 starts in his previous six years in ...

A week after ending the longest sellout streak in baseball, the Red Sox helped fill their fans' hearts with pride after one of Boston's darkest days. Then they continued their own shocking revival. Nobody could have predicted the horrific events that struck the city on Marathon Monday and few could have anticipated the start that has quickly reestablished the Sox—at least for now—as a viable force in the American League. Timely hitting, near-historic starting pitching and a new attitude infused by new manager John Farrell has resulted in the AL's best record (13-6, tied with Texas) out of the gate. Even more surprising than the speed with which Farrell seems to have turned around the clubhouse mojo is how quickly the Red Sox have regained the respect of fans disillusioned by the woeful 2012 season and the calamitous reign of Bobby Valentine. It is still too early to compare this ...

The 2013 Boston Red Sox will need a lot of player contributions if they want to rebound from last year’s disappointing 93 losses. In particular, the team needs a big season from pitcher Clay Buchholz.  The 28-year-old right-hander has struggled to find consistency during his six-year major league career, but he’s become a source of optimism for the upcoming season.  Buchholz was a supplemental first-round draft choice of the Red Sox in 2005 out of McNeese State University. He debuted with Boston in 2007 and famously no-hit the Baltimore Orioles in just his second major league start. Since then, his results have been a mixed bag.  Buchholz is a combined 46-32 with a 3.92 ERA in 107 career games (105 starts). His best season came in 2010, when he went 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts. That season, he was named an All Star and finished sixth in ...

Clay Buchholz made a triumphant return Saturday (July 14) after being sidelined for almost a month with esophagitis. The bullpen and offense just could not back him up.Before the illness, Buchholz was on fire. In his four starts prior to going down with esophagitis, he was 4-0, with a 2.40 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched. Before Saturday's game, he was 8-2 with a 5.53 ERA. But it really is his last seven starts that have Red Sox fans excited. Tom Caron of NESN summed it best when he tweeted:  Clay Buchholz is proof that performance can't be gauged by W-L rec. In 1st 7 starts, he was 4-1 w/ a 8.31 ERA. In last 7 he's 4-1 w/ a 3.23— Tom Caron (@TomCaron) July 14, 2012  Although his last start against Miami (on June 19) was a little bump in the road (when he allowed five earned runs), his numbers ...

After being shellacked in his May 21 start at Baltimore, Clay Buchholz looked like a pitcher better suited for the International League than the American League. Now, after a string of excellent performances, he looks much more like the pitcher who was an All-Star and finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2010. His improvement has also launched the Sox right back into contention. The right-hander has been on an excellent run of late, rattling off consecutive impressive starts against the Rays, Blue Jays and Orioles, three of the better offensive teams in the American League. Buchholz has allowed just four earned runs in his last 24.0 innings (an ERA of 1.50), lowering his overall ERA from 7.84 to 5.77. After struggling with his control all season, he has walked just four while striking out 19 over the same period. Buchholz’s reversal of fortune has come at a pivotal ...

Although the Boston Red Sox have won their last four games, they currently sit in last place in the AL East with a 16-19 record. Many pundits have counted them out for the season and expect they’ll finish around .500 or below.The reality is that while the Red Sox have gotten off to a slow start this season, they will be competing for the top spot in the division well into September. The Sox have been carried so far by their championship-level offense, which has scored 194 runs, second in the MLB to only the Texas Rangers led by Josh Hamilton.David Ortiz has led the way with a .346 batting average and 26 RBIs, both top-five in the league. Dustin Pedroia is his usual self, and the Sox have gotten quality contributions from newcomers Cody Ross, Ryan Sweeney, and rookie Will Middlebrooks. But Boston has missed Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl ...

The Boston Red Sox (2-5) continue a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday afternoon inside Fenway Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Red Sox as -130 home favorites after snapping a two-game losing streak, and the total stands at nine.Boston started the season 0-4 during day games before Friday's 12-2 matinee victory, but the club also suffered a devastating blow to its starting lineup. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a shoulder injury after trying to break up a double play at second base.Clay Buchholz (0-0, 15.75 ERA) may provide a lift for the club due to his career numbers versus Tampa Bay. Bucholz has a 4-2 record and 1.81 ERA in eight starts against the Rays. The right-hander has managed to allow three earned runs or less in each of those ...