That was why, even after teammates had staked him to a three-run lead in the first inning, Buchholz was walking off the mound with Delmon Young on first base, seven runs already across the plate, and just 4 1/3 innings completed, in a game the Red Sox would lose, 7-3.
Not only did the game signify Buchholz's second straight ugly start - he lasted 4 innings in a loss to Detroit last Wednesday - but the Sox dropped three of four in the Metrodome, though only 18,782 were on hand to witness the final game of the series.
This series left the Sox at 8-17 in the Metrodome since 2001. They are off to the final stop on their three-city trip, a mere 48 hours in Baltimore, where they hope for an easy welcome in Charm City.
After taking three of four from Detroit, a popular pick to win the American League Central, the Red Sox evened their road trip at 4-4 with the losses to Minnesota, a team that wasn't nearly as highly regarded.
"I don't care where people picked them," manager Terry Francona said. "They outplayed us."
They certainly outscored the Red Sox, if they didn't outhit them (12 hits for the Sox; 11 for the Twins). And though one of those hits for the Sox went out of the park, the team couldn't find a way to get baserunners home against Livan Hernandez, Juan Rincon, and Jesse Crain after the first inning. The Sox left 10 runners on base, going 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
That one hit? Manny Ramírez's 498th home run, which sailed out to right field, bringing home David Ortiz and bringing in the specially marked baseballs in anticipation of his 500th homer. ("I love it," said Ramírez. "I think those balls, they go farther than the other ones.")
"It feels good," Ramírez said of getting another homer out of the way. "But I ain't counting. I know I've got like two more to go, but I ain't thinking that much about that."
Buchholz, meanwhile, was thinking long and hard about his stuff in his last couple of outings. His road record now sits at 0-3, his road ERA at 8.64, and his frustration at high.
