Hope And 'Change' Is Clay's Campaign Theme

Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal examines the root cause of The Great Clay Buchholz Mystery. Basically, it's the lack of confidence he has in his previously game-changing change-up. After missing the second half of 2011, Clay has been searching for the elusive pitch in vain.

For him to be the dominant hurler we saw in 2010, he needs to re-establish the change as his go-to pitch—which makes all of his other stuff all the more effective. Until then, he's just another guy on 6-plus ERA meat wagon. Buchholz starts tonight in Minnesota in his latest attempt to corral his best pitch.