Major League Baseball

Buchholz, BoSox need to right ship

Published May. 7, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

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Sam Gardner

You wouldn’t know it based on the way he pitched Sunday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles — or for that matter, the way he has thrown the ball all season long — but Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz used to be one of the most promising young pitchers in baseball.

He made an unforgettable splash when he came onto the scene as a 22-year-old rookie in 2007, tossing a no-hitter against the same Orioles in his second career start.

Then in 2010, after a couple years of growing pains, injuries, promotions and demotions, Buchholz had his best season as a pro. He won 17 games on an 89-win Red Sox team, earned an All-Star nod and finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting.

His 2.33 ERA that year was second in the AL and third in the majors, behind only Seattle Mariners wunderkind Felix Hernandez and Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson.

But fast-forward two more seasons and one major back injury, and Buchholz has given up 33 earned runs in 32-2/3 innings of work this year. He would need to throw 94-2/3 straight scoreless innings to get his ERA down to that same 2.33 mark.

"It’s just frustrating to go out there and make some good pitches and still get hit," Buchholz said after the Red Sox lost 9-6 in 17 innings Sunday. "It’s not easy. I have to keep telling myself it’s not that easy.

"It looks easy for some guys, but sometimes you have to go through some struggles to get where you want to be. I think that’s where I’m at right now. I’ve just got to find a way through it."

Buchholz’s astronomical 9.09 ERA is the worst in baseball. His 2.02 walks plus hits per inning pitched is also a major league high.

He has struck out just only more batter than he has walked this season and has allowed at least five earned runs in each start — a dreadful streak that reached six games in his latest outing, as he gave up five runs on seven hits (including three home runs) in 3-2/3 innings, adding four walks for good measure.

"Clay's performance was not what he wanted it to be, for sure," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said, "not what I wanted it to be. (He) left a lot of pitches in a real hittable zone (and) gave up a lot of hard-hit balls."

Said Buchholz: "I have to watch video to see what I’m doing wrong. I’ve been upset at myself the last six weeks.”

Obviously, Buchholz didn’t take the loss Sunday — that, interestingly enough, went to left fielder Darnell McDonald — but he skirted defeat only because the Boston offense, once again, came alive to nullify Buchholz’s best efforts to play the role of saboteur.

Will Middlebrooks’ fifth-inning grand slam over the Monster — the rookie’s first home run of his career — erased what was left of the 5-0 hole Buchholz left the Red Sox in. The righty was off the hook after yet another appalling outing. Boston has now scored a total of 51 runs in Buchholz’s six starts and posted 31 runs in his team-high three wins this season.

Buchholz’s saving grace this season has repeatedly been the fact his team’s offense has come to his rescue. With all of his early season woes in mind, it hardly would be an understatement to say that, with only one loss to his name, Buchholz is as lucky as the worst pitcher in baseball could possibly be.

That luck — if you dare call it that — is due to run out. As the Red Sox evaluate their progress from their unfamiliar spot in the American League East cellar, they should come to the realization that continually trotting Buchholz out there and hoping for an offensive explosion isn’t a sustainable plan.

His spring doldrums have eclipsed the point of one or two bad starts. This is a disaster, not a slump, and Boston simply can’t afford to have Buchholz get battered around every time he takes the mound.

Buchholz isn’t the same pitcher he was before a serious back injury ended his 2011 season last June, and Boston isn’t in a position to wait around and take their lumps while they see if he can become that guy who stumped hitters and consistently missed bats in 2010 once again.

"I feel good," Buchholz said Sunday when asked if his struggles were injury related. "If I knew the reason I was giving up runs, I’d probably fix it."

There is no quick fix. With that in mind, new Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington needs to shake things up before a bad season gets worse.

Valentine said Sunday that there are no plans to shuffle the rotation “at this time,” but a move to the bullpen or — better yet — a demotion to Triple-A might be the best next step right now for a one-time potential ace who has, bafflingly, lost his stuff.

Former Rockies veteran Aaron Cook may have been the most likely replacement for Buchholz before a gash below his right knee — one that required 11 stitches on Saturday, in his first big-league start of the season — put him on the 15-day disabled list. But he might be a viable option to unseat Buchholz once he returns.

The same goes for Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has made two successful rehab starts on his way back from Tommy John surgery, and is due for two or three more minor-league outings before his long-awaited return to the big club.

Perhaps the answer is Justin Germano, a 29-year-old who has struggled at the major league level over his career, but who is 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in six starts at Triple-A Pawtucket this year.

Or maybe someone else who has found success down on the farm can provide a spark to a rotation badly in need of one.

Whatever the case, someone — anyone — is better than Buchholz right now. The Red Sox need to give their floundering No. 3 man a chance to rediscover himself and piece his confidence back together in the minors, putting a new arm on the mound in his place sooner than later.

Buchholz has hit rock bottom, and as the Red Sox try to right the ship, there has to be a better option at their disposal than the worst pitcher in baseball.

Follow Sam Gardner on Twitter: @sam_gardner

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