Buchholz finds groove; Dice-K returns

After the Boston Red Sox suffered two losses at the hand of the Baltimore Orioles to fall back to .500, Clay Buchholz came out onto the hill for the final game of the series. Buchholz had thrown eight innings of two-run ball in a win his last time out, and seemed strong going into the game. Adrian Gonzalez and Daniel Nava both gave two RBI to Buchholz, and the Sox had a 6-0 lead after three. But Clay wasn't finished. He kept pitching well and by the time the ninth inning was over, he had completed what he started in a four-hit shutout. I couldn't believe that Buchholz had pitched dominantly in two starts in a row after the terrible start to his season. Unfortunately for Boston, the Washington Nationals rolled into town next, and their series began with phenom Stephen Strasburg outdueling Felix Doubront 7-4.

Yesterday, Nationals ace Gio Gonzalez faced off against a pitcher making his 2012 debut for Boston: Daisuke Matsuzaka. Dice-K was finally back from his rehab stint in Pawtucket and ready for action. Unfortunately, Gonzalez was the ace of the Nationals. Matsuzaka was tagged for four runs in five innings, including a home run by Adam LaRoche, while Gonzalez went six and 1/3 innings in a 4-2 Nationals victory. So Dice-K wasn't great, but he pitched fairly well. Meanwhile, Franklin Morales threw three innings of perfect relief for Matsuzaka, but the offense just couldn't get anything going against Washington. I would just like to point out here that the Washington team has been the biggest surprise of the year. Led by Strasburg, Gonzalez, and Jordan Zimmerman as their ace pitchers, Washington has been able to take control of the NL East, a notoriously tough division. They are currently a game ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who have made a push recently, winning their last six games, but have still not overcome Washington.

Worth Noting
The Philadelphia Phillies, the best team in the NL East in recent years, sit in dead last of the division, despite 16 saves from Jonathan Papelbon.
The San Diego Padres are already in a death spiral in the NL West, sitting at 20-40, 18 games behind the division-leading Dodgers.