Red Sox Come Home, Win 3rd Straight Thanks To Another Fine Start By Buchholz

We are less than 16 hours away from the 2012 MLB Trade Deadline and at least for the moment, it doesn't appear that the Red Sox will do anything big. Still, there is time left for them to pull something off but in the interim, Boston (52-51, 26-28 home) won its third straight overall with a 7-3 win vs. Detroit (54-49, 26-28 away) tonight at Fenway Park.

It was the start of the Red Sox' longest homestand of the season (10 games) and Clay Buchholz (9-3) once again pitched like the ace that he's been since the All-Star break. He gave them eight solid innings (3 runs, 2 earned, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks) to earn the win.

Boston's offense knocked around Max Scherzer (10-6) and reliever Phil Coke. In 6.1 innings, Scherzer allowed five earned runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. How many times do you have to hear that strikeouts really aren't that important? I'll say it again: they are one of the most overrated things in baseball. A 5-3 lead in the eighth became 7-3 when Will Middlebrooks (13th of the season) roped a two-run shot off the light tower against Coke to put it out of reach.

Austin Jackson led off the game with a solo homer (his 11th of the season) for the 1-0 Tigers lead, what turned out to be their only one of the game.

Carl Crawford (2 runs) and his one functioning arm/elbow drove in Jacoby Ellsbury with an RBI triple in the first then he scored on Dustin Pedroia's ground out.

Miguel Cabrera tied it in the second for Detroit with an RBI single. Pedroia put Boston ahead one last time with a two-run shot (his 9th of the season) that just made it over the Monster in the sixth.

Alex Avila provided the Tigers' last run with an RBI double in the seventh. Kelly Shoppach tripled (really) and Ellsbury knocked him in with a single in the seventh for a 5-3 Red Sox advantage.

Adrian Gonzalez (run) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia both had two hits in the win for Boston but as usual, what occurred off the field was far more interesting for this group of clowns.

After making an out in the eighth, Ryan Sweeney punched a door and injured his hand so he's likely headed to the DL. Guess he didn't want to be dealt from here. With Twitter, now everyone is aware of all the trade rumors involving Josh Beckett (5-9). If he's on the mound tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) against Justin Verlander (11-6), well then it's official: the terrorists have won and there is no reason to pay attention for the rest of 2012. He would be a classic case of addition by subtraction.

UPDATE 7/31: We probably won't see Sweeney again this season. He's expected out up to eight weeks after breaking his hand last night. Ryan Kalish has been recalled to take his spot.

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