RHP Clay Buchholz, coming off a terrible start in Toronto, pitches the second game of the series Friday night. Buchholz is 2-0 with a 3.68 ERA over his last four starts (sandwiched around his latest exile to the bullpen) but the one in Toronto was over after three innings -- six runs, four hits. That included a Troy Tulowitzki grand slam, and four walks. The Red Sox slugged their way back into the game and won the rubber game of the three-game series. He is just 5-9 with a 6.19 ERA lifetime against the Yankees, yielding 19 home runs in 88 2/3 innings.

RHP Clay Buchholz will start Tuesday night's game at San Diego in the place of RHP Steven Wright (sore shoulder), Red Sox manager John Farrell announced Sunday. Eight of Buchholz's last 11 outings have been in relief, including suffering the loss Tuesday against Tampa Bay. He has never faced the Padres in his career.

RHP Clay Buchholz is expected to start on Tuesday against San Diego, filling in for injured RHP Steven Wright (right shoulder inflammation). Buchholz has made 32 appearances this season, including six starts. His past three appearances were in relief. He's 5-10 with a 5.20 ERA.

RHP Clay Buchholz, who threw 29 pitches in the eighth inning Monday night, was brought back in for the eighth on Tuesday -- and gave up a solo homer to Evan Longoria with one out to suffer his 10th loss of the season. It was the first time in his career he has worked back-to-back games and this is only the second time in his career he has reached double figures in losses. "Good hitter -- that's one of the guys that you shouldn't let beat you and I let him beat me, so it's on me," he said.

RHP Clay Buchholz has the second-lowest ERA of any active pitcher against the Rays, and Tuesday was no different, as he held Tampa Bay to one run in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out nine and scattered five hits in a 2-1 victory.

RHP Clay Buchholz turned in a solid start Thursday for Boston but remains on the bubble in terms of sticking in the starting rotation. "I think the biggest thing is he's found a lot of consistency pitching out of the stretch exclusively," manager John Farrell said. "That was the case (Thursday) and that's been the case when he's pitched out of the pen. If there's any question about Steven (Wright) going forward or at least in the short run, we feel good about Clay. But until we get to the point that Steven's a go, at the same time the way Clay's thrown out of the bullpen, if he's not in the rotation, he's a guy that we're going to be leaning on in the bullpen."

RHP Clay Buchholz was making a strong bid to return to the starting rotation. Buchholz threw 81 pitches Thursday in a six-inning start at Detroit. He allowed just one run and six hits, walking no one and striking out three. "He's making a strong case for it," manager John Farrell said. "He was very good. He went exclusively from the stretch. I thought that's probably the most consistent quality strikes he's thrown in any given outing this year, particularly in a starting role. He held his velocity well. He had a very good curveball, good cutter, he didn't really need his changeup all that much, but he kept the ball on the ground and got some key strikeouts. It was a very strong performance by Clay."

RHP Clay Buchholz will make another start Thursday at Detroit, filling in for RHP Steven Wright as the knuckleballer heads to the disabled list. Buchholz, twice demoted to the bullpen this season, gave up three runs on three hits and three walks with a strikeout in a 4 1/3-inning no decision Saturday against Arizona. The former two-time All-Star is 2-8 with a 6.30 ERA in 14 starts this season, compared to 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 13 relief appearances. Overall, Buchholz is 5-9 with a 5.66 ERA.

RHP Clay Buchholz, a two-time All-Star twice banished to the bullpen, made a spot start Saturday night -- his first start since suffering the loss in a 21-2 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles July 2. He blanked the Diamondbacks for three innings but then gave up two in the fourth and another in the fifth and was done after 4 1/3. Still, the Red Sox won a game he started for the first time since May 14. Buchholz will start again Thursday in Detroit if Steven Wright's shoulder injury forced him to miss a second start.

RHP Clay Buchholz, a two-time All-Star twice banished to the bullpen, makes a spot start for the injured Steven Wright on Saturday night against Arizona. Buchholz has allowed just one earned run in 8 1/3 innings in his last six relief appearances, but the last time he was brought out of the bullpen to start he went 0-3 and allowed 18 hits and 14 runs -- 10 earned -- in 14 1/3 innings. "I'm in a little bit better place right now as far as delivery and things I've been trying to tweak," Buchholz said. "I just think everything is coming to a head as far as the stuff I've been working on, not really having to think about it. I'm just going out and pitching rather than going out and thinking about mechanical issues or fixes. Right now it's becoming second nature to me."

RHP Clay Buchholz pitched three hitless innings of relief for his fourth victory Sunday. Buchholz permitted just one baserunner on a walk and collected one strikeout in a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Buchholz's performance enabled him to reduce his earned-run average in relief from 4.40 to 3.64. In 10 relief appearances this season since moving out of the starting rotation, Buchholz has a 2-1 record, seven earned runs, seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings.

RHP Clay Buchholz may not be returning to Boston's rotation anytime soon, but the beleaguered veteran is a good backup plan in the event of an injury. "Right now he's in our 'pen and protecting us as we go forward with the five starters," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told WEEI.com. "He's a real good protection for us." Buchholz (3-9, 6.10 ERA) last pitched Saturday, allowing three runs on three hits with two strikeouts in an inning of relief.

RHP Clay Buchholz is "in a tough spot" and has been relegated to mop-up situations for the time being. "I don't want to say it's purgatory, but as far as baseball he's in a difficult spot," Red Sox manager John Farrell said Thursday about Buchholz (3-9, 5.91 ERA). Buchholz was used in Thursday's ninth inning with Boston ahead 13-2, and didn't give up a run -- although he allowed a runner to read third base. "I thought he was crisp, and a lot of strikes with multiple pitches," Farrell said. It was Buchholz's first game since a July 2 start.

RHP Clay Buchholz has a 2.89 ERA in six relief appearances and Red Sox manager John Farrell said he will be a multi-inning reliever for the time being. Farrell said he spoke with Buchholz on Friday about his role. Buchholz was originally removed from the rotation in late-May and returned to the rotation three weeks ago but has allowed 10 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings. He has not pitched since working the first 4 1/3 innings of a 21-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on July 2 and due to that inactivity, Farrell said it is possible Buchholz could throw a simulated game during the team's off days next week.

RHP Clay Buchholz is heading back to the bullpen for the second time this year, as Sean O'Sullivan will make Friday's start against Tampa Bay.

RHP Clay Buchholz, looking to avoid a bad inning at the start, retired the first two batters Saturday night, but Mike Trout doubled and Albert Pujols drilled a two-run homer. The boos started there, continued when C.J. Cron took him deep in the fourth and were loudest when he was knocked from the game in a five-run fifth. His 1.90 homers per nine innings is the second-highest Red Sox total ever before the All-Star break. He also fell to 3-9, 1-6 at home, and was booed off the mound, saying later it was his worst game of the year because only three of the six runs he allowed were earned.

RHP Clay Buchholz, holding on to his spot in the Red Sox rotation because there really hasn't been anyone to take his place, goes against the Angels in the second game of the weekend series on Saturday night. In his two starts since returning from bullpen exile, Buchholz is 0-2, allowing 11 hits, three homers and seven earned runs in 10 1/3 innings. He is 6-4 with a 4.83 ERA lifetime against the Angels.

RHP Clay Buchholz is now 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA in his four career starts at Globe Life Park. Buchholz was done in by a first inning in which he gave up three runs before retiring a batter. Buchholz, who was making just his second start since a stint in the bullpen, feels like he made progress as the game went on. "I got a couple double plays, a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out and they started hitting balls at guys instead of finding holes," Buchholz said. "Probably the balls that were hit hardest were a couple of outs, and then Prince's (Fielder) home run."

RHP Clay Buchholz didn't wait long to implode upon his return to the Red Sox's rotation. Buchholz gave up a leadoff homer to Tim Anderson on the first pitch of Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the White Sox, and wound up giving up another homer and three runs total on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts in five innings. "Somebody jumps up on you first pitch of the game, there's not a whole lot you can do about it," Buchholz said. "(Anderson) put a good swing on it." Buchholz (3-7) lost his starting job May 26 after giving up six runs in an 8-2 loss against Colorado and had made five relief appearances since.

RHP Clay Buchholz returns to the Red Sox rotation to take on Chris Sale and the Chicago White Sox in Game 2 of the four-game series on Tuesday night. Demoted to the bullpen after his May 26 start, Buchholz has lowered his ERA from 6.35 to 5.86 in five relief appearances, not allowing a run in the last three. He pitched three innings, yielded two hits and struck out four against the Baltimore Orioles last Thursday. In his last four starts, Buchholz pitched 22 innings, allowing 25 hits, 18 earned runs and six homers. He is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in his last five starts against Chicago -- four of them quality starts. Buchholz's return was aided by the ineffectiveness of other starters. "We need more consistency out of those two (4-5) slots," manager John Farrell said. "We fully believe that the talent is (there)."