In case you missed it, the former Lumberton High School baseball star continued his major league surge Sunday by helping the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. From a story in the Boston Herald:
As for Bruce, he pinch-hit singled in the go-ahead run for the Reds in their 3-1 victory Monday night against the Houston Astros. Bruce, who played high school baseball at West Brook, had not played in the majors since before he broke his wrist while he tried to make a sliding catch July 11 in right field.Buchholz is undefeated in his last six starts, during which he has gone 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA. He had a 15-inning scoreless streak snapped by Jason Bartlett’s RBI single in the seventh inning yesterday.
“He was tremendous,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “He threw all four pitches, had a very good changeup, was aggressive with his fastball.”
Whenever Buchholz pitches a good game - and, again, that’s been the norm lately - the manager is routinely quizzed about the 25-year-old right-hander’s burgeoning maturity. But while Francona applauds Buchholz for his pitching, he continues to raise caution flags on the maturity issue, perhaps thinking long-term, not short-term.
“Just because he’s pitched well, that doesn’t mean he’s . . .,” Francona said before pausing and adding, “It’s been a process over the last year. He’s throwing the ball very well. All that we hoped for Buc is starting to come to fruition. And it’s great to watch - not only for the present, but for the future.”
"That was a lot of fun," Bruce said. "It was pretty exciting to be out that long and come back and help the team win."
