Felger & Mazz: Buchholz Quit On Red Sox Sunday Night
BOSTON (CBS) - 98.5 The Sports Hub's Felger & Massarotti program began Monday's show recapping last night's Red Sox-Yankees game, a contest in which Boston lost handily to the tune of 14-4.
While losing by 10 runs is never a good thing, what Felger and Mazz found more concerning was how starting pitcher Clay Buchholz showed himself on the mound in defeat.
After two starts with completely different outcomes to start 2015 (something that's been a staple of his career), Buchholz is even more Jekyll & Hyde than the 2014-15 Bruins.
"That's his career in a nutshell. Totally inconsistent. Unpredictable. You have no idea what you're going to get," said Massarotti.
Buchholz pitched like an ace in Boston's regular season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, but staying true to form, he came back the next outing and couldn't make it out of the fourth inning against the New York Yankees in his second start Sunday night.
"I can live with bad performances from pitchers. It's going to happen. What I can't live with is not trying," said Massarotti.
The radio pairing criticized Buchholz's drive and demeanor, citing his lack of effort to back up third base and home plate at times when the ball was in play.
"I find it unfathomable that a pitcher in the big leagues, with his experience, is getting slapped around and says, 'I'm not going to back up third [base], I'm not going to go back up the plate,'" said an incredulous Massarotti.
This is Buchholz's eighth season in the majors, all with the Red Sox, and he's now being called upon to be the number one pitcher in the rotation, and show the kind of make-up that Michael Felger doesn't believe he has.
"Let's face it, the guy's kind of a joke," said Felger. "How is that guy your number one? The guy you let out there first, that means something in baseball."
Listen below for the full discussion:
