(SportsNetwork.com) – Boston Red Sox hurler Clay Buchholz tries to avoid a
third straight losing start on Thursday night as he takes the mound for the
finale of a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Buchholz is coming off a 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
However, despite allowing 11 hits over six innings, he was able to limit the
damage to a pair of runs while also striking out seven. The 30-year-old fell
to 1-2 on the year with a 6.06 earned run average.
“(Buchholz) kept the game in check,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “They
are aggressive, they swung the bat early in the count, but he did a good job
of minimizing the damages.”
The right-handed Buchholz is 8-6 in his career versus the Rays, posting a
solid 2.45 ERA over 18 starts.
Taking the mound tonight for the Rays will be Jake Odorizzi, who got zero run
support in a 9-0 loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday after winning his
first two starts of the season.
The right-hander gave up three runs over six innings, charged with five hits
and two walks while striking out nine. He is pitching to a 1.74 ERA through
his three starts.
“A good ballgame that turned somewhat ugly. I thought (Odorizzi) really threw
the ball well,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Odorizzi is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in five career starts versus the Red Sox.
The Rays halted a four-game slide by rallying for a 7-5 win last night.
Brandon Guyer capped a four-run sixth inning with a two-run single and Jake
Elmore homered in his first at-bat with Tampa Bay to highlight a two-run
seventh.
Elmore’s solo homer came after he was recalled from Triple-A Durham earlier in
the day.
“That was a huge hit to give us a two-run lead,” said Cash. “We knew he gave
good at-bats in spring training, but the gap power kind of surprised us a
little bit.”
Steven Souza Jr. also hit a solo homer for Tampa Bay, but left the game with a
right forearm cramp apparently suffered when he struck out swinging to end the
sixth inning.
Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run homer and David Ortiz added a solo blast for the
Red Sox, who had won two in a row.
Boston right-hander Joe Kelly escaped trouble until the sixth inning. He was
charged with five runs on eight hits and a walk and had seven strikeouts in
his first career appearance against the Rays.
“The sixth inning has become a challenge for our rotation,” Farrell said. “We
can’t shut the inning off.”
Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino, who was hit by a pitch in the fourth
inning, was taken out for a pinch-hitter in the fifth. He is unlikely to play
today, but was already in line for a game off.
Tampa won 10 of its 19 matchups with the Red Sox a season ago.
