Buchholz is coldly efficient

There was no need to worry.

“A little bit,’’ Buchholz said, surprised at his effectiveness despite the cold. “I was expecting to have to battle through, especially after the first inning. Threw some good pitches that got hit, and left some pitches up, and I was able to bounce back the next inning, and go on a pretty good roll.’’

That good roll got the Sox a win. As they head to New York playing far better than they were the last time they graced the Yankee Stadium turf, the Red Sox saved a split at Kauffman Stadium, taking last night’s game by a 10-3 score in front of 20,807.

With a loss earlier in the day by the fading Rangers, the Sox cut two off their magic number, shrinking it to just three heading into the weekend’s series against the Yankees.

That means they could clinch a spot in the postseason as early as tomorrow in New York. Otherwise, they have 10 games remaining against the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Indians in which to formally dispatch the Rangers to their usual position - which is done with their season in October.

But first, the Sox needed to take care of the Royals, which they did fairly easily, using the magic of Buchholz’s right arm and the utter improbability of one statistic.

With another home run from David Ortiz (No. 26), the Sox improved to 23-2 when he takes one out of the park. But the game was hardly about the Sox’ designated hitter, who added a two-run double in a four-run ninth. It was about the continued development of a pitcher living up to all the hype and expectations that began in the minors, continued with his no-hitter, and are coming to life in the second half of a season that began for him in Triple A.

“Even when I didn’t feel good in Triple A, I still thought I had a chance to go out there and win a game,’’ Buchholz said. “That’s what it’s coming to now. It’s a different ballgame up here, but obviously if you can go out and throw some pitches for strikes and get some outs in some big situations, all it’s going to do is help you, so I feel like I’m doing a better job of that.