Buchholz, Bruce have reasons to smile

Jay Bruce drives in the go-ahead run for the Cincinnati Reds in his first game back from the disabled list one day after Clay Buchholz continued to sparkle. Not bad for a pair of Southeast Texans.

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:

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.”

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.

"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."

Jay Bruce on playoff team ... in minors

It appears that Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce will stay in the minor leagues a bit longer.

Bruce, a former West Brook baseball star, will continue to rehabilitate his wrist injury by helping the Triple-A Louisville Bats minor league team in the playoffs before a return to the big leagues. Bruce has not played in the majors since he suffered a fractured wrist while trying to make a sliding catch on July 11. The Bats play the third game of a best-of-five International League playoff series against the Durham Bulls tonight in Louisville. The series is tied 1-1.

Bruce has played five games with Louisville during his rehab stint. He is batting .278

Link: Bruce's rehab stay at Triple-A extended (mlb.com)

Link: Jay Bruce's minor league stats page (milb.com)

Bruce to begin rehab, plans to play in Dominican winter league

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce took batting practice swings Tuesday and will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville this weekend. Bruce, a former West Brook baseball star, has been out with a broken wrist since July 11. Bruce fractured his wrist while he tried to make a sliding catch against the New York Mets.

Bruce has struggled this season. He batted .207 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs in 83 games before the injury. To help make up for time lost to the injury, Burce will spend part of the off-season playing in the Dominican Republic, where he will spend about a month with the Aguilas club.

Link: Bruce takes swings on field (mlb.com)
Link: Bruce hopes to move on in rehab (mlb.com)