Clay Buchholz

Following Tuesday’s heartbreaking 5-4 extra-innings loss to the A’s, the Red Sox will look to recoup and salvage the three-game series in Oakland during Wednesday’s rubber match. In order for that to happen, Boston will need its offense to turn around. The Sox bats haven’t scored more than four runs in a game since July 10, and with several key position players still on the DL, it will be up to the players currently on the roster, whether they were there for Opening Day or not, to make that turnaround. If not, the Sox arms will need to continue to carry the load during this 10-game West Coast road trip, and for that reason, first-time All-Star Clay Buchholz could not have picked a better time to make his own return from the disabled list as he takes the hill for Wednesday’s matinee. He will square off against young Oakland starter Gio Gonzalez.

This will be Buchholz’s (10-4, 2.45 ERA) first start since he exited Boston’s June 26 game against San Francisco after pulling up lame on the basepaths with a hamstring injury. However before the setback, Buchholz was putting up statistics equivalent to a Cy Young candidate. He was one of the league leaders in wins and ERA and even had Yankee manager Joe Girardi saying that had Buchholz not missed the All-Star game due to the hamstring issue, it would have been a very difficult call as to who would start for the American League between eventual starter David Price, Jon Lester and him.

Buchholz was able to make one rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket before joining the Red Sox Wednesday and allowed two runs over 3 2/3 innings to go along with four hits, two strikeouts and one walk. Not exactly tantalizing numbers, but Buchholz did report afterwards that he felt fine physically and that was his biggest concern heading into the start.

On the other side, although Gonzalez (8-6, 3.63 ERA) may not seem as exciting for baseball fans, he certainly has put up some quality numbers for the A’s this season. His ERA is second-lowest among Oakland starters, and his 92 strikeouts in 114 innings put him in the lead for the team in that category. In four of his last five starts, he’s allowed a run or less with the only blip on the radar being a four-inning, five-run performance against the Yankees July 7. He allowed three runs over five innings in a 9-4 loss to Boston June 1 but ultimately did not factor in the decision.

Other than that, the Red Sox as a team don’t have too much experience against the lefty, who is in just his third season in the league. However, Adrian Beltre, who faced Gonzalez several times during his time in the AL West with the Mariners, is 5-for-10 with a slugging percentage of .800 in his career against Gonzalez. On the other end of the spectrum, Marco Scutaro, who is 0-for-6, will be searching for his first hit when he steps to the plate.

A’s outfielder Gabe Gross is the only Oakland player to have any real experience of substance against Buchholz. Unfortunately for both him and the A’s, he has struggled mightily against the Boston righty, going just 1-for-8. Eight of the A’s 13 position players have never seen Buchholz in action, including old friend Coco Crisp.

Red Sox vs. Gio Gonzalez

Adrian Beltre (12 career plate appearances against Gonzalez): .500 average/.583 OBP/.800 slugging, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 walk

Bill Hall (8): .167/.250/.167, 2 RBI, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

David Ortiz (6): .250/.500/.500, 1 double, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts

Marco Scutaro (6): .000/.000/.000, 1 strikeout

Kevin Youkilis (6): .400/.500/.400, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

J.D. Drew (5): .250/.400/.250, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Darnell McDonald is 1-for-1 with a walk against Gonzalez. Dusty Brown, Mike Cameron, Kevin Cash, Daniel Nava and Eric Patterson have all never faced the Oakland starter.

A’s vs. Clay Buchholz

Gabe Gross (10 career plate appearances against Buchholz): .125 average/.222 OBP/.125 slugging, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Jack Cust (3): .000/.333/.000, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Mark Ellis (3): .333/.333/.333, 1 RBI

Kurt Suzuki and Ryan Sweeney are both 1-for-3 in their careers against Buchholz. Daric Barton, Matt Carson, Coco Crisp, Rajai Davis, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Cliff Pennington, Landon Powell, Adam Rosales and Matt Watson have all never faced the Boston starter.