Blog is Back 8/7

Sorry for the (very) long layoff between posts, but I'll be updating more frequently from now on. There's a lot to cover but I'll start with the "bust" talk which is so far from the truth it's ridiculous. Expectations for this season were certainly high (and probably unfair) due to the no-hitter last year. Clay is just 23 years old and still showing a lot of promise even if the results aren't quite there yet. His arm slot was changed from almost completely over the top to more of a 3/4 arm slot (though not completely 3/4). The move was made to add some zip on the fastball and hopefully improve his command. He's striking out nearly a batter an inning and still displaying a devastating change-up and curveball combination. He needs to use his fastball more as hitters are starting to hit the breaking stuff since they are sitting on those pitches. He also has been a bit of a victim of a high BABIP so when that comes down to earth I believe the results will be much better. 

Buchholz @ Toronto 4/5/08

Here we are back for another season! The Red Sox are now World Champions and Clay is starting off the season on the big league club. He made his first start of the season yesterday, and despite what the box score might indicate, he pitched pretty well. Clay's line for the day was 5.0 IP, 6 hits, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. His change and curve both looked very solid, and he mixed in a number of sliders throughout the afternoon. Matt Stairs had zero chance of hitting anything off Clay, striking out 3 times. The defense behind Clay was a bit rough, but after struggling in spring training, Clay came out with a pretty strong performance. It remains to be seen if Boston will keep Clay on the major league roster or send him down to AAA for a while.