They might have been. He might have been.
Didn't matter. Buchholz got Kinsler to pop to first baseman Kevin Youkilis, ending the inning and pushing him through the biggest challenge the Rangers would pose while the rookie was on the mound. Two more runners appeared in the third, though the second came aboard with two outs. One more in the sixth, but Milton Bradley was erased immediately on a double play.
It wasn't quite like his last start, against the Yankees in New York, and the six scoreless innings earned him his first victory of the season, 8-3, in front of 37,539 fans on Patriots Day. It was his first win since a relief victory last Sept. 6 against the Orioles and his first win as a starter since his no-hitter last Sept. 1.
"I thought he was much more unpredictable in all counts," manager Terry Francona said after the Sox had swept the Rangers, locking up their fifth straight win and ninth in 10 games. "He was throwing all his pitches.
"We talk so often about establishing fastball, but with Clay, he's got four pitches that if he can throw at any time, in any count, vs. lefty, vs. righty, all of a sudden you start pumping that 93, 94 in there, it gives you an extra foot or two on your fastball. And he was throwing them all, all day, right from the very beginning."
Plus, it didn't hurt to have a big lead, which his teammates provided in the fourth inning. Just one ball was hit hard that inning, the one off the bat of Dustin Pedroia that was smashed into the triangle and went for a double. The others? Well, those were more a combination of sneaky shots and miscues by the Rangers. Many miscues.
Between Dustin Nippert's balk, Kinsler's throwing error that allowed Jed Lowrie to score, Michael Young's wide throw on Jacoby Ellsbury's infield single, and Milton Bradley losing David Ortiz's fly ball in the sun (and keeling over in the process), the Red Sox scored five runs in the fourth, staking Buchholz to a nice advantage. Even when the Red Sox planned on making an out, they didn't do it.
With J.D. Drew on first base (the second of his three walks on the afternoon), Lowrie popped up a bunt so badly it landed in front of Young at shortstop and went for an infield single. He couldn't have placed the ball better.
