Buchholz Explains Why Things Will Be Different This Time

Clay Buchholz will take the hill tomorrow night against the O's in his first start since returning from the PawSox. He told the Patriot Ledger about his struggles and how he has adapted:

“It was all mechanical, and sort of mental, too,” he said, “because I fell in love with throwing all my off-speed stuff for strikes and nobody hitting it. Then it got to a point where (hitters said), ‘All right, we’re just not going to swing at his fastball and wait for the off-speed stuff,’ and that’s when they started hitting me.”

He feels that returning to Boston will be different this time “because if somebody hits my fastball I’m not going to be afraid to throw it again. That’s what I did. I sort of veered away from it. I was on the 60 percent mark of throwing off-speed stuff. That’s not a good thing when you’re up there and everybody knows you can throw a fastball but you’re not doing it. I think I got it all sorted out now.”

If Buchholz can stay with the club and have an ERA under 4, the Sox will run away with the division.