John Farrell: ‘I don’t know that we ever truly lost faith in the talent of Clay’
Buchholz punched out a season high nine over six and a third innings.
The first half of the season went about as poorly as one could possibly imagine for Clay Buchholz. His 5.91 ERA before the All-Star break was higher than any season of his career in which he had thrown at least 80 innings. Even out of the All-Star break, things did not immediately improve, as trade rumors swirled.
“In this organization, doing a little bit bad is doing really bad because you hear it from everywhere,” Buchholz said, via the Boston Globe.
Buchholz’s situation has drastically improved in the month of August, though. After initially struggling, Buchholz thrived in a relief role by holding opponents to a .189 batting average, and found an opportunity to start when Steven Wright was injured. In the three starts he has made since, Buchholz has allowed just 5 earned runs in 16.2 innings pitched, good for a cool 2.78 ERA.
“I don’t know that we ever truly lost faith in Clay,” John Farrell said, after last nights 6.1 inning, 9-strikeout outing in which Buchholz allowed just a single earned run for the second straight start. He showcased some truly nasty swing-and-miss stuff.
Clay with 9 punch-outs last night and a 1.96 ERA in his last 8 appearances. đź‘Š pic.twitter.com/GhyIKJUm9q
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 24, 2016
A big part of the upswing in results has been credited by both Buchholz and Farrell to pitching from the stretch, rather than using a windup. “Pitching from the stretch has obviously proven very effective for him,” John Farrell said, “and the jolt he’s given us has kept us rolling.
He now leaves the team with a tough decision, with Wright due to return on Friday. Buchholz could take the spot of Eduardo Rodriguez if he needs to miss more time with his strained hamstring, or he could return to the bullpen.
Buchholz said he hoped to make the decision difficult, but acknowledged that it was Farrell who would determine his future.
“You’ll have to ask John about that one,” Buchholz said. “I have no idea.”
Farrell, for his part, declined to say whether Buchholz had won a starting job going forward. “He’s playing a huge role for us right now,” he said. “As far as Clay goes, this will be more of a conversation from within.”
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