Clay Buchholz is healthy, aiming for 200-inning season

Some good news for Red Sox fans: Clay Buchholz is healthy, and he’s feeling so good that he’s hoping to top 200 innings for the first time in his career.

The right-hander, an All-Star in 2010, pitched only 82 2/3 innings in 2011 and missed more than half the season with a back injury. Boston fans have to wonder if the Red Sox could have avoided their stunning late-season collapse if Buchholz had been healthy, as he was quite effective when he pitched.

Now he’s hoping to rebound and surpass his career-high of 173 2/3 innings, as reported by Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe:

“I think it’s big. It’s what I want to do every time I come to spring training. It’s what I prepare myself to do,” Buchholz said. “The last two seasons came with injuries that I didn’t have any control over. It was frustrating in that aspect. But you can learn from everything. That’s what I’m coming into spring training with. Things happen and you have to take what you’re given sometimes.”

Among the other topics Buchholz discussed:

• He, along with Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Darnell McDonald, had dinner with manager Bobby Valentine in January. Buchholz described Valentine as “a good dude” who is relaxed yet wants to have control over everyone. He meant that in a good way.
• He also said the infamous clubhouse beer drinking had been going on for a while, and only became a big deal when the team fell apart. Buchholz did admit, however, that it was a mistake, and that Valentine will set a new tone.

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