Clay Buchholz didn't have his best stuff for the PawSox on Tuesday, but he bore down and pitched well when he had to.

Journal photo / John Freidah

PAWTUCKET -- Clay Buchholz had been struggling, battling through his worst outing of this still-young season, when Buffalo’s Fernando Martinez hit what appeared to be a double off the center-field fence leading off the fifth inning.

 As Martinez, who in the third inning had lined a homer that curved around the foul-pole in right field, stood on second base, the umpires huddled in the infield. What they were discussing was whether the ball he’d just hit had struck the yellow line that crosses the wall at the back of the concession stand that rises behind the fence in dead-center.

 The men in blue discussed and debated, then suddenly ruled it had. Just like that, Martinez’ double became his second homer of the game.

 Needless to say, Buchholz disagreed.

 “He was upset,” PawSox manager Ron Johnson said afterwards. “He argued with the umpire a little bit. He didn’t like the call.”

 That was in part because Buchholz had allowed only one home run in his previous six starts, and even more so because it put the Bisons ahead, 3-2.

 And coming to the plate was the powerful Wily Mo Pena, a free-swinging slugger who spent parts of two seasons (2006-07) with the Red Sox.

 It was a situation in which Buchholz easily could have lost his composure, and the game along with it. Instead, he settled down and set down Pena, striking him out. At which point, having thrown 93 pitches, he was taken out by Johnson.

 “He took care of Wily Mo,” Johnson said. “I don’t know if we would have seen that two years ago. He might have thrown four straight balls.

 “This wasn’t one of his better outings. But the things he’s doing for himself – his command of himself – makes me like him even more.”

 There’s always been lots to like about Buchholz as a pitcher. He has a back-breaking, 12-to-6, curve ball, throws his fastball consistently in the low 90s -- which makes his changeup even more effective, and, as if that weren’t enough, also can throw a slider.

 But, as Johnson alluded to, Buchholz’ self-control has not always equaled his command of his array of pitches.

 Success came quickly – and, perhaps, too easily -- for Buchholz when, as a 23-year-old rookie in 2007, he threw a no-hitter against the Orioles at Fenway Park in his second major-league start. He finished the year with a 3-1 record and an earned-run average of 1.59 after having started the season in Double-A Portland.

 But he struggled last year, going 2-9, with an ERA of 6.75 for Boston, and the organization decided it would be best for him to start this season in Pawtucket.

 Where, until yesterday afternoon, he had been sensational.

 In his first six starts, he had allowed only 16 hits in 35 innings while striking out 37 and walking 10. His ERA was 1.03 and hitters were batting a paltry .130 against him. He had thrown 24 consecutive scoreless innings before Martinez hit his first homer of the game in the third.

 Buchholz didn’t have his best stuff against the Bisons, but battled hard.

 He got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first by striking out designated hitter Javier Valentin and Rene Rivera. In the fourth, after Buffalo scored its second run, the inning was prolonged by an infield error with two outs. The Bisons again loaded the bases, but Buchholz remained unruffled and limited the damage by retiring Cory Sullivan on a routine fly to center.

 His final line read 7 hits and 3 runs in 4.1 innings.

 But, said Johnson: “I know the numbers don’t show it, and he didn’t go deep in the game, he wasn’t involved in the decision, and he didn’t have his best stuff. But I liked his outing. He wasn’t bad. He really wasn’t.

 “I’m not trying to paint too rosy a picture,” Johnson continued. “But what impressed me today was that, when things went bad, he didn’t give me that devastated look. His composure was good. He minimized the damage.

 “He was upset when I took him out of the game. But he was upset for the right reasons. He was upset because he wanted to keep pitching.”

 By adding self-control and maturity to his already impressive arsenal of pitches, it shouldn’t be long before Buchholz is back in the big leagues.

 It may not be with Boston. His name has been mentioned in trade rumors as the Red Sox seek to strengthen their roster for what promises to be a grueling race in the A.L. East, with the Blue Jays challenging the Sox, Yankees, and defending champion Rays for the top spot.

 Pitching always is a precious commodity, and the Sox starters have been struggling this season, so general manager Theo Epstein will have to weigh carefully any offers for the promising right-hander.

 “I’ve become such a fan of his this year,” Johnson said of Buchholz. “The final part of development with him is being able to handle adversity.”

 By handling Pena after the adverse ruling by the umpires, Buchholz showed himself at his best, even on what was his worst outing of the season.

jdonalds@projo.com