With the exception of Jon Lester‘s second start of the season, starting pitching has the been the devil of the Boston Red Sox. Saturday afternoon was another struggle on the bump for Clay Buchholz in the 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees.
Buchholz managed to last just 3 2/3 innings and definitely had nothing but meatballs to offer up for the vaunted Yankees lineup. He allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits and three walks. He did manage to strike out two and was the victim of one of Russell Martin‘s two home runs on the day.
All told, Red Sox pitchers allowed four home runs on the day.
Curtis Granderson had one off of Felix Doubront, who was freshly called up from Pawtucket before the home opener on Friday. Robinson Cano hit a no-doubter off of his old teammate Alfredo Aceves and Martin hit his second one of the day off of Aceves.
The lone bright pitching spot of the day was Tim Wakefield. Wake pitched two innings and struck out one along the way.
Offensively, Dustin Pedroia once again led the way with three hits and two RBIs. Jed Lowrie got the start at shortstop and added three hits in place of the struggling Marco Scutaro. Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury also added RBIs.
Obviously right now the starting pitching isn’t there while the Red Sox are getting hits. That will change.
Baseball can be a funny game. There will be days where the pitching isn’t there while the hitting is (yesterday). There will be days where the pitching is there but the hitting isn’t (Lester’s second start). And there will be days where the hitting and pitching click on the same day. We can only hope those come sooner rather than later.
A 1-7 start isn’t good (stating the obvious I know) but all it takes is a six-game winning streak and we’re back at .500. Hopefully that can start tonight when Josh Beckett takes the ball.
We’ll be back later today with tonight’s starting lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from today. But for now enjoy the overnight links by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
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False start: Red Sox rotation woes run deep in early-going [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Martin (2 HRs) makes rounds [Boston Globe]
A staff with lots of stuff — going on [Boston Globe]
Calhoun goes the distance [Boston Globe]
Badly in need of something [Boston Globe]
Deeply disappointing [Boston Globe]
Matsuzaka’s Sox tenure a tale of two cultures [Boston Globe]
The Knuckler takes a curveball [Boston Globe]
Red Sox get back to losing [Boston Herald]
Short stop for Jed Lowrie [Boston Herald]
Heart of order still beat [Boston Herald]
Red Sox’ quality rating: Poor [Boston Herald]
Dustin Pedroia one bright spot [Boston Herald]
Red Sox should become more than paper tigers [Boston Herald]
The cold reality [Boston Herald]
Nightmare continues for Sox starters [CSNNE.com]
Sox resume losing ways, fall to Yankees, 9-4 [CSNNE.com]
Players thrilled with improved infield at Fenway [ESPN Boston]
Rapid reaction: Yankees 9, Red Sox 4 [ESPN Boston]
Doubront has positive 2011 debut [ESPN Boston]
Buchholz: ‘It’s only two starts’ [ESPN Boston]
Rotation struggles [ESPN Boston]
Terry Francona: MLB ‘way better’ at testing players for PEDs [Full Count]
Closing Time: Yankees 9, Red Sox 4 [Full Count]
Russell Martin: The Red Sox were ‘iffy’ on me [Full Count]
Which Team Will Win the American League East This Season? [NESN.com]
AL East Teams Offer Mixed Bag After Crazy First Week of Baseball [NESN.com]
John Henry Disappointed in Red Sox’ Start, But Still Excited to Show Off Fenway Park Renovations [NESN.com]
Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox Keeping Fingers Far From Panic Button Only Eight Games In [NESN.com]
Clay Buchholz Struggles As Starting Pitching Continues to Make Life Difficult for Red Sox [NESN.com]
Manny Ramirez Provided Red Sox With Many Unforgettable Moments During Eight Years in Boston [NESN.com]
Pedro Martinez Waiting for That One Last Call for Help [New York Times]
Boston squanders plenty of opportunities in loss [Providence Journal]
Starting pitchers to blame for tough start [Providence Journal]
This rotation needs to right the ship in a hurry [Providence Journal]
Looking for a ticket to the Sox game, don’t count on it [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Fenway Park was just what Pedroia needed [Providence Journal]
Calhoun returns home to throw out first pitch [RedSox.com]
Buchholz, bullpen shelled by Yankees [RedSox.com]
Fenway Park suited for Crawford, Adrian [RedSox.com]
Fenway Park suited for Crawford, Adrian [RedSox.com]
Sox struggling with getting runners home [RedSox.com]
Thoughts From My First 2011 Game [Surviving Grady]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.
