PAWTUCKET — Every one in Red Sox Nation knows almost everything there is to know about pitching prospect Clay Buchholz. But what does the rest of the baseball world think of this 22-year-old phenom?

The PawSox right-hander worked three innings and threw exactly 50 pitches against Ottawa last night and finished with a no-decision as Pawtucket erased an early three-run deficit en route to a 6-4 victory at McCoy Stadium.

“He’s got a good arm,” said Ottawa manager John Russell, who was ejected from last night’s game in the bottom of the seventh inning. “He changes speeds really well, and for his first start in Triple-A I thought he threw the ball really well. Like any pitcher who makes it to the upper levels, command is the biggest key and he was commanding the ball pretty well.”

After Buchholz retired the side in order in the first inning, the Lynx scored three runs (two earned) on four hits in the second. Russell said he didn’t think his hitters made any adjustments after seeing the PawSox pitcher in the first, it was just that Buchholz had trouble with his location.

“He probably didn’t throw the ball exactly where he wanted it,” said the Ottawa skipper. “That’s what happens, and you’re going to have a lot of those [innings] at Triple-A and in the majors because location of your pitches is key a big key. Obviously I didn’t talk to him, but I think he would feel the same way that he didn’t quite hit his spots. He has a very good arm and I see him being a very good pitcher.”

Ottawa’s Pedro Swann, who went 0-for-4 on the night and 0-for-2 against Buchholz, was quite impressed.

“He had three great pitches working — fastball, curveball and changeup,” said Swann. “He has promise. He has a good arm and three great pitches. With the first three hitters, we got a little bit of a scouting report. I think he got some pitches up against the second group of guys, and no matter what kind of stuff you have, you’re going to get in some trouble. He’s young. He’ll learn to keep the ball down, but he has a great future.”

Ottawa’s Randy Ruiz was the batter who belted a two-run homer off Buchholz. “I tell you what,” said Ruiz, “this guy being a young guy, he came right after people. He was really good and he had good stuff tonight. He worked his off-speed stuff a lot, and a guy who throws good changeups and good curveballs, you just have to go out there and try to battle. Sometimes you have to tip your cap to a pitcher like that.”

Ruiz belted a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw from Buchholz in the top of the second inning, but it wasn’t the first time the two have faced each other. Ruiz played for Double-A Altoona and Buchholz for Double-A Portland, so the two have a bit of history.

“I faced him a few times in the Eastern League and he liked to get ahead of me with his fastball, then throw me a lot of off-speed stuff,” Ruiz said. “It was just one of those days. I just tried to turn it around and he threw me a nice, fat fastball down the middle of the plate and I got a good swing.”

Pawtucket’s Ed Rogers belted a two-run homer in the second inning before the PawSox pushed across three runs in the seventh with the help of Joe McEwing’s two-run single and David Murphy’s RBI-single for a 5-3 advantage. Pawtucket added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning as Bobby Scales reached on a two-out error, stole second, reached third on a throwing error and scored when Rogers stole second.

The Lynx wouldn’t go quietly and pushed one run across in the top of the ninth inning before PawSox closer Travis Hughes earned his 12th save of the season.

jmcdonald@projo.com