Clay Buchholz in control in Pawtucket

How much has Pawtucket Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz dominated International League batters this season?
This much: through games of June 12, the slim Texan leads the league in earned-run average (1.75) and WHIP (0.82). And he also has a combined total of fewer hits (40) and walks (15) than innings pitched (67).
On May 25 at Louisville, Buchholz flirted with a perfect game by retiring the first 24 batters before Danny Richer singled to lead off the ninth. He finished with a complete-game, 3-0 victory.
And even though his record is a modest 4-0, Pawtucket has scored three or fewer runs in five of his seven no-decisions.
Two questions are obvious:
Why has he been so much more effective this season than in the past? Why is he toiling in Triple-A Pawtucket instead of Boston?
“(Boston) saw a couple of things that I needed to work on,” said Buchholz before Pawtucket hit the road on Thursday. “It’s coming around for me. I feel like I’m putting together more good starts back to back rather than having a good start and then going out and having three bad ones and coming back with a mediocre start.
“I feel like I’m putting together average or above-average starts. That builds confidence.”
Buchholz began last season as the No. 5 pitcher in Boston’s five-man pitching rotation. He had thrown a no-hitter one season earlier in just his second major-league start, Sept. 1, 2007, against Baltimore at Fenway Park. But given a chance to regularly pitch at the big league level, Buchholz struggled. He tallied a 2-9 record with a 6.75 ERA with 41 walks, 72 strikeouts and 11 home runs allowed in 76 innings.
He ended the season with Portland.
Now Buchholz is dominating the competition, and PawSox pitching coach Rich Sauveur is specific about why.
“It’s because his command his improved tremendously,” Sauveur said. “By that I mean his fastball command and command of his secondary pitches. He overthrew last year at times with his fastball. He thought 95, 96 (miles per hour) was better than 92, 93 or 94. I’d much rather see a guy throwing 91 with command than a guy throwing 95 and less than half the time he’s throwing strikes.
“He also trusts all of his pitches. Last year I think he thought there were certain pitches he could trust only on certain days. Now, he trusts all four pitches every time out – his fastball, curveball, slider and change.”
Buchholz’s trust in all of his pitches has made life easier for catcher Dusty Brown, who almost could wear a blindfold when the young pitcher is on the mound.
“When he’s locked in as he’s been, and throwing all of his pitches as well as he has, it’s really simple,” Brown said. “You call the right pitch, get on the same page and let him work.
“He’s been able to punch out guys on a well-located fastball and he’s also added a slider. We’re using it a little more this year than we have in the past just to be able to throw something off speed early in the count without showing his curveball or his changeup yet. It’s a good pitch for him and he’s been using it effectively.”
To say Buchholz used all of his pitches “effectively” against Louisville is a massive understatement.
Besides only allowing one hit, he issued zero walks and fanned seven.
“I was in a position where I was trying to make perfect pitches instead of just concentrating on getting outs by letting batters put the ball in play,” Buchholz said. “The crowd was all over me but I didn’t let it bother me. And I was glad (manager Ron Johnson) let me throw a complete game.”
Throwing a perfect game may be easier than cracking Boston’s starting rotation which consists of John Beckett, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Brad Penny. And that doesn’t include former Atlanta Brave John Smoltz who’s scheduled to come off the disabled list next week.
“As for the call-up situation, they’ve got their stuff going on up there with what they think is best for the team,” Buchholz said. “I’m sure sooner or later I’ll be in the picture. But I’ve got to be at the top of my game when I get that opportunity.
“I’m pretty much a perfectionist when it comes to this game. Given last year (Buchholz literally pitched his way down from Boston to Pawtucket to Portland), it was so far below the bar that I set for myself that I started thinking I wasn’t good enough.”
While Buchholz’s stats speak volumes about his success, Sauveur feels because the young pitcher has zipped his lips it can only enhance his status in the eyes of the organization.
“He’s in a tough situation,” admitted Sauveur. “But I think he’s gotten to the point in his career this year where he says ‘I’m going to shut up. I’m going to put up my numbers. I’m going to do exactly what I’m told to do.’ And he’s doing it. I’m very proud of him for that.”