Philadelphia Phillies: A Pitching Reunion
By Tal Venada
After a down ’12, Buchholz rebounded with a dominant 2013, but he missed three months with an elbow injury. Again, he struggled in 2014 and came back strong in 2015, but a strained flexor muscle in his right elbow on July 10 was season-ending: his seventh year with a stint on the disabled list over nine campaigns. The pattern, however, had a wrinkle in ’16: the righty was having another dreadful 162 and lost his rotation spot, but injuries opened up another starting opportunity he didn’t waste except for a difficult first outing.
Buchholz, 32.5:
- 2016: 37 Gms., 139 1/3 Inn., 8-10, a 4.78 ERA, a 0.5 fWAR and a 1.33 WHIP.
- Starter: 24 Gms., 116 2/3 Inn., 6-8, a 5.01 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.
- Reliever: 16 Gms., 22 2/3 Inn., 2-2, a 3.57 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.
- Starter: Last 7 Gms., 34 1/3 Inn., 2-1 and a 2.36 ERA.
"FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “The key to pitching is to have the ability to throw a strike when they’re taking and throw a ball when the hitter is swinging.” – Greg Maddux"
Next: Phillies: What to Watch for This Spring
Even though he has yo-yoed his last five summers, Buchholz has always fought back. In other words, he hasn’t recorded dismal numbers in consecutive seasons. So, what do McClure and Buchholz have in common together on the red pinstripes? A second chance.