Tonight we get what I like to call “The Trifecta.”
First, the long-awaited return of Red Sox baseball. The four-day drought for me was like spending four days underwater. It really starts to play tricks with the mind. Too often this week I found myself talking to inanimate objects or doing play-by-play of the guy pumping gas. He didn’t like it much either.
Second, the game is in Toronto which means we might catch a few glimpses of the hot beer chicks behind the plate. Or maybe even a Geddy Lee crowd shot. And of course if you’re listening to the radio broadcast, Castig will undoubtedly use “Torontonians” until you’ll want to rip your own ears off.
But the real story is Clay Buchholz. After his amazing no-hitter in 2007, Clay fell to Earth with an ugly thud in 2008 going 2-9 with a 6.75 ERA and allowing 11 home runs in just 76 innings. In 2009, Buchholz has been making his case for a return to the Show. He is 7-2 with a 2.36ERA, a WHIP under one, and batters are hitting just .188 against him. Regardless of his performance tonight, Clay will be on a bus heading south on 95 after the game.
The question is: for how long? If he carries the stuff he’s been dealing at AAA to the big club, it will be tough to justify sending him down while Penny and Smoltz wear down the bullpen. And then there’s this.
