Clay Buchholz Goes Six Innings in Red Sox Debut, Earns Win

Clay Buchholz went six innings against the L.A. Angels giving up four runs (three earned), striking out five and walking three in his debut with the Boston Red Sox. Buchholz left the game with a 7-4 lead and went on to earn the victory in his first major league start.

The 23-year-old prospect showed poise in the first inning, shaking of a two-base error by righfielder J.D. Drew that put runners on second and third with one out. Buchholz got Garret Anderson to ground out to short, scoring Chone Figgins, and then struck out Gary Matthews Jr. to end the inning.

The Red Sox lineup showed up for their young starter and scored six times in the bottom of the first to give Buchholz a 6-1 cushion heading into the second. David Ortiz hit a two-run bomb as the Red Sox hit for the cycle in their frame with J.D. Drew adding a triple, Mike Lowell punching a single and back-to-back doubles from Doug Mirabelli and Alex Cora all plated runs.

Buchholz got into a little trouble in the fifth after giving up four straight singles to Figgins, Orlando Cabrera, Vladimir Guerrero and Anderson. The Angels put two runs on the board to cut the Sox lead to 7-3. L.A. added another run in the sixth to make it 7-4 and after Buchholz struck out Reggie Willits to end the sixth his day was over.

Boston tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth with a Dustin Pedroia home run and Jonathan Papelbon finished the game off with a scoreless ninth inning of work to earn the Red Sox another win and Clay Buchholz his fist big league victory.

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