Red Sox's Clay Buchholz: Needs to improve

Red Sox manager John Farrell said getting Buchholz going is an "improvement that we could make," Mass Live reports.

Analysis:

In responding to a question about the team's overall performance in April, the manager took the unusual step of discussing an individual player's performance. That's not like Farrell, who has gone way out of his way in the past to protect players. By calling out Buchholz, who has a 6.51 ERA with 31 hits and 13 walks in 27.2 innings, the manager has put the scuffling right-hander on notice. With two injured starters -- Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly -- at various stages of rehab, Buchholz hasn't pitched well enough to retain his spot in the rotation when the injured starters are ready.