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May 31, 2008
By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer
BALTIMORE -- Pitcher Clay Buchholz has been reinstated from the disabled list and optioned to Pawtucket.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona made the announcement earlier today. The Sox held a conference call with Buchholz, GM Theo Epstein, Francona, pitching coach John Farrell and PawSox manager Ron Johnson.
"We just want to make sure he understood what we're trying to do," said Francona. "We're trying to take out the [element] of him concerning about the linescore. He can go be consistent and pound the strike zone with his fastball. He can work on his arm slot and things like that."
Buchholz finished spring training strong and made the rotation out of camp. The Red Sox didn't want him to think this was some kind of demotion. This will be a chance from the young right-hander to continue to hone his skills without any added pressure at this point.
"There were some things that needed to be worked on," said Francona. "This is probably the best opportunity to do it."
One of the main things, according to Francona, was Buchholz's ability to be consistent with his fastball.
"His off-speed stuff is probably as good as anybody's in the game," said the manager. "Again, some times you just need a little more time to finish up what you're doing. We'll continue to monitor it, because of how important he is to where we're going."
Posted by Joe McDonald 
at 4:57 PM | Permalink
