Red Sox-Orioles: Home Runs, Buchholz's Brilliance Help Boston Rout Baltimore

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, seen here launching a homer in the third inning, notched the first multi-homer game of his career to lead the Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) " title="Pedey or Little Man" width="381" height="410" />

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, seen here launching his homer in the third inning, notched the first multi-homer game of his career to lead the Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Boston Red Sox’s Victor Martinez led off the fifth inning by roping a double down the left field line against Baltimore Orioles reliever Brandon Bass.

Kevin Youkilis followed with a walk, then David Ortiz contributed a single. The bases were loaded with nobody out—an offense’s dream. Given the Red Sox's offensive production over the first four innings, it appeared to be a forgone conclusion that they would score. But, to my surprise, they didn’t: Jason Bay struck out and J.D. Drew grounded into a double play.

If the Clay Buchholz who was on the mound for Boston tonight was the 2008 version of Clay Buchholz, this would have been a crushing blow.

If this Buchholz surfaced, the Red Sox would have had no choice but to take advantage of every opportunity, to collect any runs they could. Why? Because Buchholz was just a thrower then, and his statistics showed. In 2008, the then-24-year-old Buchholz made 15 starts and one relief appearance and was horrible in nearly every outing: He allowed 93 hits, 63 runs, and 11 home runs in 76 innings, good for a 2-9 record and an abysmal 6.75 ERA.

Yes, the Red Sox's offense would have kicked themselves for missing out on such an opportunity.

But not now. They had no reason to. Why? Because the 2007 Buchholz—and for that matter, the Buchholz of the past few months—showed up.

In 2007, making his age start at then-23, Buchholz tossed a no-hitter against these very same Orioles. Baltimore had never heard of the kid and had only scouting reports to go off. This time, the Orioles had much more to go from, but they still couldn’t figure him out.

He entered this outing on some kind of roll. He’s had two rough starts this year, but despite allowing seven runs in both, the Red Sox's offense backed him up by scoring 18 runs in the first and 12 in the second.

Throwing those two poor appearances out the window, the lanky right-hander has made seven other starts and failed to allow more than three runs in any. Boston didn’t expect the worst from Buchholz, which came consistently during his nightmarish 2008. They expected his best and, more importantly, he delivered.

He sent down the Orioles in order in the first, a recurring theme, then continued to benefit from outstanding run support.

Jacoby Ellsbury walked to begin the bottom half of the inning, then Dustin Pedroia followed by smashing an offering from 24-year-old Orioles starting pitcher David Hernandez over the Green Monster and down onto Landsdowne Street below.

Hernandez knew it was gone at the crack of the bat, but turned around to watch the ball sail into the Boston night anyway. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for Buchholz and the Red Sox, this would also be a recurring theme.

After Martinez, Boston’s catcher and fourth-place hitter, narrowly missed hitting a home run to center field by flying out to the warning track, Youkilis didn’t, tomahawking a solo shot into the Green Monster seats in left.

Buchholz breezed through the second inning, sending the Orioles down in order again, and was once again rewarded for his efforts.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez stretched the Red Sox's lead to four with a solo homer to left, keeping the fans occupying the Green Monster seats extremely busy.

Buchholz mowed down Baltimore in the third, recording his second of five strikeouts in the process. Yet again, his offense thanked him.

Pedrioa, who tagged a fastball from Hernandez in the first, crushed a changeup from him to lead off the bottom of the third to notch the first multi-home run game of his already illustrious career (if you are unfamiliar with Pedroia and his accomplishments, he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2007, then the American League Most Valuable Player award the following season).

After Martinez and Youkilis were retired, Ortiz walked to send Hernandez to the showers, then Bay worked a walk against young right-hander Chris Lambert. This two out rally preceded a three-run homer by Drew, who just won’t cool off.

Buchholz now had a eight-run lead with which to work. A one-run advantage was good enough for him, though. He worked around a wall-ball double by Orioles 23-year-old catcher Matt Wieters that led off the bottom of the fifth by retiring the next three hitters, including two by strikeout.

He was unphased by his offense’s inability to plate a run in the fifth by pitching a one-two-three sixth, then, after Boston scored a ninth run, pitched the seventh with similar success.

The seventh would be his final inning. His line: three hits, no runs, one walk, five strikeouts. His start was brilliant and he made it look effortless.

Twenty-three-year-old pitcher Michael Bowden, fresh up from the minor leagues, followed his lead by pitching a scoreless eighth and after the sixth Red Sox homer, a solo shot by Ortiz, a scoreless ninth.

Ortiz’s 23rd homer made the score 10-0 in Boston’s favor, coincidentally the same amount of runs scored and allowed in Buchholz’s no-hitter two years ago. Then, Buchholz was an unknown. Now, the Orioles, as well as the rest of baseball, know what he has become, a star pitcher in the making.