Clay Buchholz in the majors? It might be a a knee-jerk reaction. (Yoon S. Byun / Globe Staff)

Editor's note: This blog entry was published earlier Tuesday, before the news that Clay Buchholz would be called up to the Red Sox to take the place of Tim Wakefield, who went on the disabled list.

Presumably, the same people clamoring for Clay Buchholz now are the same ones who were clamoring for John Smoltz then. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. And in the world of major league baseball, the pitching is always better one stop before the major leagues.

Sole possessors of first place in the American League East less than a week ago, the Red Sox are now tied with the New York Yankees atop the division following last night’s 6-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox have begun the second half of this season just as they began the first, when they played .250 baseball (2-6) to start the year. Boston’s only win so far in the second half came behind Buchholz, who has one more career no-hitter than Smoltz to go along with 205 fewer victories and 154 fewer saves.

We know what you’re thinking: Why isn’t Buchholz here? On some levels, it is a legitimate question. On others, it is a knee-jerk reaction to what is, at the moment, nothing more than a slow start to the second half of a season that produced the best record in the AL through last weekend.

The AL East being what it is, the 2009 season had the makings of an especially long fight from the very beginning -- and an especially long fight it is shaping up to be. In some ways, the season has not really even begun yet. Boston, New York, and Tampa Bay looked to be the three best teams in the AL when this season began, and there has been little to dissuade us from that belief as we approach the 100-game mark.

If the season were to end today -- famous last words, we know -- the Red Sox would be division champions by virtue of their head-to-head record over New York; the Yankees would be wild card winners; the defending-AL champion Rays would be on the outside looking in.

So, is there really reason to be alarmed yet? The most worrisome development so far this half is that Red Sox have lost three of four this season to the Rangers, who are currently tied with the Rays, 4 1/2 games out in the race for the wild card. The Rangers suddenly do not appear as if they will be going away. Any win over Texas now could mean a great deal later, especially with unbalanced scheduling producing a bushel of intra-divisional games in the final two months of the season.

Nonetheless, before anyone gets too alarmed, rest assured that the Red Sox planned for this. Their entire strategy around the All-Star break was designed with the bigger picture in mind, which is to say that the Sox remained focused on August, September and, of course, October. The Red Sox don’t hope to make the playoffs any more so much as they expect to be there, and they have to plan for it. That means giving as much rest as possible to people like Brad Penny and Smoltz, each of whom took the mound in recent days on nine days of rest. Nine. If the Red Sox weren’t expecting a certain measure of rust and/or inefficiency as a result of that, they would have scheduled their pitchers for earlier turns.

Oh, and have we even mentioned that Boston’s two biggest winners from the first half -- Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield -- have yet to take the mound since the break?

For Buchholz, all of this has only resulted in another stint as Flavor of the Month, which is not meant as a criticism of his abilities or potential. By all accounts, the kid has a chance to be a very good pitcher in the major leagues. He is not necessarily one yet. Buchholz’s 2008 campaign was nothing short of a disaster, and the Red Sox understood better than anyone that Buchholz needed more time in the minors to develop his confidence and understanding of what it takes to be an effective major league pitcher.

Friday’s spot start was an acknowledgment that Buchholz could probably help them on some level now, so the club created a spot for him because it would simultaneously benefit everyone else -- in the long run.

After all, what's the rush? Why does Buchholz have to be here now? Smoltz was an investment designed to pay dividends late in the season, a stretch of time that has yet to commence; in his five starts with the club so far, the first and the last have been made on unusually long rest. From May 3 through the end of the first half, Penny posted a 3.79 ERA over the span of 13 starts. And there is not anybody in his (or her) right mind who would currently put Buchholz in the rotation over Beckett, Wakefield, or Jon Lester, the last of whom had the misfortune of squaring off with Roy Halladay on Sunday.

So, for the moment at least, the Red Sox are doing exactly what they should with Buchholz. They are waiting. Keeping Buchholz in the minors is not going to do him -- or them -- any harm. In fact, in the long run, it will only ensure that the Red Sox can keep Buchholz longer. As things stand, Buchholz is not eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season. (He had 154 days of major league service entering this season; a full year is roughly 180 days.) At this stage, if Buchholz spends roughly a month in the big leagues this year, he will instead be eligible for free agency following the 2014 campaign because he will have accrued enough service time to be eligible. By holding him a little longer now, the Red Sox could get another full year of service from him down the road, when they might not have a rotation, 1 through 5, as deep as any in the game.

If he plays now, they may pay later.

Sometimes those of us who are passionate about team sports or, more specifically, competition, focus on the individuals rather than the team. What difference does it make if Dustin Pedroia struggles in the leadoff spot so long as the Red Sox are winning? What difference does it make if Jacoby Ellsbury hits seventh and J.D. Drew first? What difference does it make if Penny and Smoltz start while Buchholz remains in the minors, an insurance policy for the short term and a cornerstone for the long?

The answer: None.

After all, it’s not about him as much as it’s about them.