Buchholz Continues to Look Sharp, Sox Fall 4-3 to Pirates
By Aidan Flynn
One day after Jon Lester worked six perfect innings, Clay Buchholz did his best effort to mimic the Sox ace, throwing five innings of one-hit ball himself. Buchholz surrendered his first run of the spring, actually raising his ERA to .68. This looks even more impressive considering it was against a Pirates team playing with a majority of their starters. The only blemish of the afternoon was a solo home run to Neil Walker in the second. Other than that, Buchholz continued to look just as sharp as he has all spring.
Mar 7, 2013; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) throws in the first inning during a spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Offensively, the Red Sox got off to a fast start, scoring two in the first inning off Bucs’ starter, James McDonald. Highlighting the first inning offensive charge was Shane Victorino, who lead off the game with a triple, and Ryan Lavarnway, who contributed a two RBI single. However, the Sox offense stagnated the rest of the game, collecting only four hits and were unable to score another run until the ninth.
Compounding the paucity of runs was another rough outing by the bullpen. After admitting a leadoff walk, Chris Carpenter allowed a two-run home run that put the Pirates back up 3-2.
The Red Sox play next against the Baltimore Orioles, with newcomer Ryan Dempster scheduled to toe the rubber for the Sox. Game time at 1:35 p.m. ET
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