ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Clay Buchholz continues to perform very well as a starting pitcher after beating the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1, Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. So was Tuesday his last start for a while or will manager John Farrell find a way to keep him in the rotation?
Steven Wright is scheduled to return Friday vs. Kansas City, but the Red Sox have been vague about Eduardo Rodriguez, who threw a three-inning simulated game Tuesday and appears to be OK after a mild hamstring strain. Buchholz went 6⅓ innings Tuesday, allowing one run and five hits with nine striekouts. But it appears he will return to the bullpen unless the team decides to delay Rodriguez’s return.
Going back to the bullpen wouldn’t be so bad if 1) Wright and Rodriguez pick up where they left off before they were injured; and 2) if Buchholz embraces a more significant role as a set-up guy. Buchholz could be a reliever capable of pitching the final two or three innings, which would be a huge asset.
If you read between the lines, you get the feeling Farrell would like to find a way to keep him in the rotation.
“He’s playing a huge role for us right now,’’ he said. “As far as Clay goes, this will be more of a conversation from within.
“Setting that aside, he’s throwing the ball exceptionally well right now. Pitching from the stretch has obviously proved very effective for him and the jolt he’s giving us right now has kept us rolling. Our starting rotation has done an outstanding job and he’s a big reason for that the last few starts.’’
Buchholz, 6-3 with a 1.87 ERA in 11 starts at Tropicana Field, said he hoped to make it a very difficult decision for Farrell. He’s already succeeded in that. But when asked about his future, Buchholz said, “You’ll have to ask John about that one. I have no idea. I know I was filling in for a couple of guys that are out right now. Just tried to make the most of it.’’
Currently, the Red Sox really don’t have that eighth-inning guy. Oh, there was encouraging news Tuesday that Koji Uehara threw 32 pitches out of the bullpen and was far more aggressive in his throwing than expected as he seeks to return from a pectoral injury. But there’s still no timetable for a return date. If Uehara could make it back, he would certainly be a welcome late-inning addition.
Farrell talked up Joe Kelly as someone who likely would be up soon. That would be an easy switch with Heath Hembree. The Red Sox could wait until the rosters expand to 40 on Sept. 1 to make any further moves, but given that it’s been hard to solve the bullpen riddle from outside the organization, perhaps the solution lies with Buchholz and Kelly throwing set-up innings.
Let’s face it, for this team to go far in the postseason, the Red Sox need a strong bullpen. Right now, other than Craig Kimbrel’s success, relievers Brad Ziegler, Matt Barnes, and Junichi Tazawa haven’t been reliable. Robbie Ross Jr. has pitched well from the left side and Fernando Abad has been disappointing to the point he’s being used in low-leverage situations.
The Red Sox need the unexpected pitcher to step up. And that man could be Buchholz.
Listen, the team has been fortunate this season to have received unexpected performances from Wright and catcher Sandy Leon. They are two players they really didn’t expect to have All-Star-level performances, but they got it from each of them.
Leon came along later in the season. Wright has been there straight through Day 1 until his recent injury. Now they need that from Buchholz, who was demoted to the bullpen because he had such a poor start as a starting pitcher. He worked his way into a bigger role in the bullpen before being used as an emergency starter where he’s performed well in three starts.
Part of his success has been working out of the stretch. Buchholz’s command has been much better and his velocity hasn’t suffered, in fact it’s been a tick higher. So if Buchholz can now transfer the success he’s had as a starter back to the bullpen, he could become a valuable tool for the Red Sox the rest of the way.
Success might even mean the team picks up the $13.5 million option on his contract. That’s a lot of money for a reliever, but Buchholz could compete for a starting spot on the Sox in spring training. With so little starting pitching available in the offseason, Buchholz becomes valuable as even a possible trade chip if the Red Sox feel they have enough starting pitching for next season.
As we’ve pointed out, the Red Sox are going to shed quite a bit of reliever money.
Uehara’s $9 million, Tazawa’s $3.37 million, Ziegler’s $5.5 million all come off the books. The Sox will get Carson Smith back from Tommy John surgery early in 2017. It would appear Smith, Barnes, and Ross would all be in the bullpen with Kimbrel next season, with the possibility the team will add a veteran arm or try to re-sign Ziegler.
There are certainly examples of starting pitchers who have successfully converted to the bullpen like Kansas City’s Wade Davis, Dodgers righty Joe Blanton, Cleveland’s Andrew Miller, LA’s Bud Norris, and Baltimore’s Vance Worley.
But let’s see what happens. It’s always hard to take an effective starting pitcher and relegate him to the bullpen. Then again, it would be a shot in the arm to take an effective pitcher and put him in an area of need. It’s a tough decision and one that could have ramifications for this team the remainder of the season.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.
