Red Sox Notebook: Buchholz Motivated

Clay Buchholz hasn't been dreaming this winter of a 20-win season or winning Rookie of the Year. He just wants to get through the season healthy.

Shut down late in the summer amid concerns over right shoulder weakness and a "tired arm," the 23-year-old wunderkind missed out on making the roster and contributing to the Red Sox's run to the 2007 World Series title.

Suffice to say, the golden boy prospect is properly motivated to never let that happen again.

"That was all the motivation," said Buchholz, 19-10 with a 2.46 ERA and sterling strikeout numbers over the course of his minor league career. "I knew what I wanted to do coming into the offseason. I had never been hurt before. That was the closest I had been to it.

"It was different for me," added Buchholz, who has added 10 pounds this winter while working out at Athletes' Performance Institute in Florida. "I went into the offseason preparing and knowing what I had to do to be a part of this team this year."

Buchholz was 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA in four appearances with the Sox last season and threw a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles. He has accomplished much in a short period of time while rocketing through Boston's development system, but he still is no lock to break camp with the big club before its season opener in Japan.

If Boston's starters are able to get through spring training healthy—certainly a big if in the world of baseball—then Buchholz could begin the season at Class AAA Pawtucket, where his workload can be monitored and restricted. His path might be similar to that of Jon Lester in his rookie season, when the young hurler's pitch count was limited early in the season so he was at his strongest through the stretch run.

"If we have six or seven starters of that caliber, we would have what is considered a luxury," said Sox pitching coach John Farrell. "If we have everyone making the Opening Day roster in a healthy fashion then, yes, perhaps we can manage or control the total number of innings a little easier at Pawtucket. Starting the season in Boston, all the gloves are off and it's time to compete in every game, every night."


NOTES, QUOTES
—LHP Javier Lopez avoided salary arbitration and signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal for $840,000. Lopez was 2-1 with a 3.10 earned run average in 61 relief appearances with Boston in 2007 and ranked second on the staff in appearances and holds (13). The Sox have signed several left-handed relievers over the last few months for spring training auditions, and Lopez is likely to be in a battle to retain his left-handed situational spot for next season.

—2B Dustin Pedroia pronounced his left hand is back to 100 percent normal after offseason surgery to remove a damaged hamate bone, an injury that the feisty Pedroia played through with marvelous results during the 2007 postseason. The cast was removed in November, and Pedroia reported that he's had no hitting restrictions during his offseason workouts in Arizona.

—Sox third baseman Mike Lowell would be in favor of blood testing baseball players for HGH usage provided Major League Baseball can come up with a blood test that is 100 percent accurate. The 2007 World Series MVP said the danger of false positive results is the biggest hurdle to the MLB Players' Association ultimately approving a blood test for HGH.

—RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka expressed a desire to Sox pitching coach John Farrell to increase his innings workload during spring training this season. Matsuzaka hopes the increased work schedule would make him stronger when the regular season begins. The request is one of many adjustments Matsuzaka is sure to make in his second season after experiencing a largely successful rookie season in the majors.