Buchholz Tries To Keep It Together in Seattle
After taking two of three from the struggling Oakland Athletics, the Boston Red Sox have finally won their first series in May. They’ll try to keep the good times rolling this Friday night (10:10 PM ET) when they visit Safeco Field for Game 2 of a four-game set against the Seattle Mariners. Seattle also recently pulled out of a slump by beating the A’s in three straight. Clay Buchholz (3.09 FIP) is scheduled to start for Boston. He’s been all over the map this year, losing 3.96 betting units on a team record of 2-5; Buchholz did provide four quality starts, but also got knocked around in his other three appearances. His strong FIP and his atypically high .393 BABIP suggest Buchholz may be a solid “buy low” candidate. The Mariners respond with J.A. Happ (3.45 FIP), who has pitched very well through six starts with a team record of 4-2 and 1.43 units in earnings. This is Happ’s first year pitching at Safeco, but his improvement this season hasn’t come from friendly park factors alone – it’s also been his walk rate, which is at a career-low 1.88 per nine innings.