Bye Bye Buchholz

Posted by Mike Giardi August 20, 2008 at 11:26 pm

Clay Buchholz never had a chance. The Red Sox’s rookie righthander has been demoted after another shaky start this evening in Baltimore. But the Sox’s brass isn’t dropping Buchholz to Triple-A. No, he’s so messed up, they’re sending him back to Portland and Double-A.

Skipper Terry Francona telling the media, “I talked to Buck and we feel we need to give him a renewed start.”

Buchholz sounding more like he needs a vacation.

“I put too much pressure on myself. When I put one guy on base, it feels like the bases are loaded. Instead of gritting my teeth and saying, ‘Let’s get these guys out’ I’m thinking ‘Now what’s going to happen.’ I don’t have a very high confidence level and something has to change.”

Heck, forget about Maine. Send Buchholz to Fort Myers and tell him you’ll see him again in February. No knock on the kid, who I still truly believe can be an ace, but he’s going through something right now that’s he’s never experienced in pro ball.

Let’s hope Buchholz can regain the feel on his fastball, get comfortable with that new arm slot and regain the confidence that makes him the Sox’s top pitching prospect ’cause this has been tough to watch.