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Clay in deep water

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Updated Sep 30, 2009 6:30 PM ET
     
 
The Red Sox had their postseason destiny right where they wanted it, in the hands of starter Clay Buchholz. The young right-hander has been the rotation's best pitcher during the past six weeks and last night took the hill with a chance to punch the team's ticket. But he got off to a rocky start when Jose Bautista blasted his first pitch of the night over the Green Monster, beginning an onslaught of Blue Jays home runs that had the Sox looking like they were going to need some help from the Rangers later in the night to officially qualify for the postseason. ``We're obviously very close and we don't want to take anything for granted, but it would be nice to solidify this sooner rather than later,'' outfielder Jason Bay said before the game, which the Jays led 7-2 after six innings. ``It's ultimately one way or the other up to us. We kind of control it. We could get help, but it would be nice to take care of business ourselves.'' The Red Sox long ago wrested control of the wild card race from the Rangers and began last night with their magic number down to one. They had to like their chances with Buchholz on the hill, because he entered the game 5-0 in his previous six starts with a 1.32 ERA and just one home run allowed in 41 innings. But it was a different story against the Jays, who pounded him for seven runs on eight hits in five innings, blasting five homers in the process. In addition to Bautista, Adam Lind (two), Kevin Millar and Aaron Hill also took him deep. None of the shots was cheap. Because the Red Sox literally cannot miss the playoffs unless the Rangers win out and the Sox end the season with a 10-game losing streak, no one seemed to be sweating the clincher before the game. ``I've been in a situation where for five years we didn't even come close to the playoffs,'' Bay said. ``Some places have the luxury of getting there more than others. You never know how these things will go. Any chance you get to act like a kid, we'll take that.'' Bay was, of course, referring to the raucous celebration that typically accompanies the clinching of a playoff berth. The Red Sox had other motivations for wanting to get theirs locked up as soon as possible. For one, they could treat the final five games of the regular season as glorified spring training while balancing the need for rest with that of staying sharp. ``It's a good question,'' Bay said. ``You want to get your legs back under you, but you don't want to get rusty. It's a fine line. I think of myself personally, I'd take a day or two off and get some regular at-bats. The last thing you want to do is go to the playoffs and try to flip the switch. You want to continue it.'' That said, Bay and his mates wouldn't mind some time to recharge. ``A day or two off would help everyone,'' he said. ``You don't need a week off, just a refresher and hopefully that works.'' - jtomase@bostonherald.com
Tagged: Clay Buchholz, Blue Jays, Rangers, Jose Bautista, Red Sox, Aaron Hill, Jason Bay

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