Buchholz leads Red Sox to victory
With 47 games remaining for the Boston Red Sox and the team sitting five games out of first there is not much room for error; every win counts. On Wednesday night, starter Clay Buchholz did his part to make sure the Red Sox continued to keep their playoff hopes alive by pitching eight strong innings to get the win over the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-1.
Buchholz showed why he is one of the best young pitchers in the game, scattering five hits over eight innings, walking two, and striking out four. Toronto’s lone run would not count against Buchholz since Travis Snider had advanced to third off a passed ball.
After Toronto scored their only run of the game in the first Buchholz retired the side for the next three innings before giving up a single to Adam Lind to start the fifth inning.
The win is his 13th on the year; Buchholz had only lost twice in his last 14 starts dating back to his 14 May start against Detroit. So far during his young career he has dominated the Blue Jays winning four of six starts with a 1.69 ERA.
Second baseman Bill Hall provided more than enough offense for Buchholz. He hit the first of two home runs in the second inning, a solo shot over the left field wall giving the Red Sox the lead for good with the score 2-1. The scoring did not stop there.
Two innings later, Hall would hit his second home run of the night, this time a two-run shot that scored leftfielder Ryan Kalish. Hall would later single in Mike Lowell in the fifth to give him four RBIs on the night.
J.D. Drew and Adrian Beltre contributed a pair of homeruns in the fifth as well. Drew hit his with no one on over the right field wall. Three batters later Beltre hit one over the right field wall, scoring Victor Martinez and David Ortiz in the process.
Martinez finished the scoring with a single in the eighth that scored Darnell McDonald who had subbed in for J.D. Drew to make the score 10-1.
Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum had done well against the Red Sox in the past. In 55 2/3 innings over 13 starts he had only allowed 18 runs. Wednesday night he gave up eight runs including four home runs in just four innings of work. The loss gave him six on the season.
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