Sports Redux: Clay Clobbers Jays

Clay Buchholz, who has been throwing baseballs at catchers' mitts in the Major League since 2007, has finally decided that he has become a pitcher.

"When I got up here and I was new to the big leagues," he told the Globe, "'Tek put up a sign, and I just grabbed it and threw it [...] Now I think I've evolved into a pitcher."

If last night's eight-and-one-third inning performance was any indication, the kid's right. The 25-year-old kept the Blue Jays off balance with a combination of well-placed fastballs and well-disguised change-ups that fooled even the team's craftiest hitters. Buchholz tied his career high with nine strike-outs, and many of them came on a third strike change-up, a pitch that Jerry Remy compared to Pedro Martinez's.

Buchholz's game came to an end in the ninth after he gave up a hit to Jose Bautista—only the third Blue Jay hit of the game—and a scary line drive to Aaron Hill that Alex Gonzalez snagged out of nowhere. The crowd booed Terry Francona when he yanked the young pitcher, and it might have felt some vindication when reliever Hideki Okajima allowed two quick doubles to give the Jays their first runs of the game. Papelbon followed the hapless lefthander and closed the game with two quick outs—not even bothering to load the bases.

The 3-2 victory was Buchholz's third win of the season.

Offensively, the Sox' bats weren't exactly quiet—they managed 10 hits—but they were frustratingly ineffective. A struggling Ricky Romero gave up 7 of the hits and 4 walks but managed to close the first five innings with minimal damage—a run scored by Jacoby Ellsbury off a Dusting Pedroia single in the first. Romero got into trouble in the sixth, however, and Toronto relievers couldn't bail him out. The Sox scored twice, on a Gonzalez single and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Victor Martinez.

Buchholz's gem might be the shiny object that Sox fans needed after news that Tim Wakefield is hurt again. It's bad for Sunday ticket-holders: WAR machine Jon Lester won't be starting today so that he can take Wake's place on Tuesday. The Sox made a call to Paul Byrd's baseball retirement village, and he will take the mound this afternoon against Roy Halladay, who has struggled in his most recent starts. Byrd last pitched in the majors wearing a Red Sox uniform during last year's ALCS.

Bob Ryan wants the internet to go away.

In Foxborough, the Revolution squeaked by the San Jose Earthquakes, 2-1, following some clever coaching. The Revs are 5-1-2 in their last 8 games, which has helped bring their season record to 9-6-6, good enough for third place in the Eastern Conference.