| 28 August 2010
Jon Lester and Victor Martinez combined to beat David Price and the Rays yesterday.
Tonight, the quest for a playoff spot continues with Clay Buchholz (15-5, 2.26) taking on Matt Garza (13-7, 3.26).
Garza is 7-3 with a 3.64 ERA in 16 starts against Boston. In the past he's killed the Red Sox, but we've seen many different versions of Garza through five appearances this year.
In April, he blanked the Sox through 8, allowing just 4 hits and fanning 5. In May, he coughed up 6 run on 5 hits (3 HR) and was pulled after 5 innings. In June, he buckled own and held the Sox to 3 runs through 7, earning the win after a Delcarmen implosion. In July, he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks through just 3 innings, but the Rays battled back for the win. Two days later, Joe Maddon asked him to save a tight game in the same series and he did.
So what can we expect from "The Spitting Llama" tonight? Well... he's 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA and 13 Ks in his last two starts - 7+ IP in each. He's also 7-2 wit ha 3.42 ERA at home this year... I'd say we should expect a string start.
Thankfully, we have Buchholz on the mound for us. Buchhy is 3-2 with a 1.93 ERA in 6 starts against the Rays. The last time he faced them, he went 6 strong, allowing 1 run and striking out 8. He's won his last four starts, pitching shutouts in his last three outings and is 4-0 with a 0.99 ERA and 23 Ks in 5 August starts. After spending some time on the DL, Buchholz has been locked in and with just 139 innings on the books, he's fresh and ready to dominate.
Key Matchups
BJ Upton is 3 for 7 (.429) against Buchholz... the rest of the Rays haven't touched him.
Adrian Beltre has been a rock all season. He's also got the best numbers of any Red Sox player against Garza - 9 for 21 (.429) with two ding dongs.
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