Buchholz had an escape plan

Staying focused key during jams

Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz pitched out of some jams, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing just one run on a wild pitch. He struck out six and walked four. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Clay Buchholz dazzled in his last start but had nothing to show for it. Despite a three-hit, nine-strikeout performance and a complete game, he found himself on the losing end, 2-1, to the Tampa Bay Rays April 26. Last night, Buchholz got another crack at the Rays, this time at Fenway Park.

Despite a few rough spots, Buchholz, who had to endure a 2-hour-27-minute rain delay at the start, guided the Red Sox to a 7-3 victory.

Buchholz lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and one run while walking four and striking out six. He threw 95 pitches, 60 for strikes, before being relieved by Javier Lopez. It was the first victory for Boston in four tries over the Rays this season. Buchholz is the first Sox starter to post a victory since he beat Texas April 21, a span of nine games.

The 23-year-old righthander benefited from the Sox' resurgent offense, which had generated only four runs in the last five games. In this one, Boston produced 13 hits.

"I thought his stuff was phenomenal, but his command at times got him into a couple of jams," said manager Terry Francona. "He had the stuff to pitch out of it."

The manager said he didn't think his starter was bothered by the lengthy delay prior to the first pitch at 9:32 p.m.

"He did a good job of staying ready the whole time," said Francona. "That's not easy for any pitcher to do, but their guy [Edwin Jackson] had to do it and the players had to do it."

Buchholz occasionally made it difficult on himself, walking the first two batters of the second inning and allowing the first two batters to reach in the third on a hit and a walk. But he felt he got into a groove from there, striking out the next three batters in the third.

"It was all a matter of avoiding the big inning," said Buchholz. "I had two runners on a couple of times with less than two outs. Somehow I found a way to make a couple of pitches and miss a couple of bats and get some ground balls.

"I guess you could say it's all sort of coming together. There are still some things I need to work on. I hate walking people like that. Usually walks kill you in the end. It's going good for me right now. I've just got to sort of stay on track and keep working."

When Buchholz struck out the three straight Rays, he made sure not to get ahead of himself.

"When it comes down to having nobody out and having runners on like that, you've got to go one pitch at a time," he said. "When you think two pitches in advance, that's when you're going to get hurt. I tried to stay inside myself and trust in all my pitches that I was throwing at the time and I found a way to wiggle out of it. That was probably the biggest momentum shift in my head, just going out and getting three strikeouts right after it could have been a big inning for them."