Buchholz

PAWTUCKET — Boston’s touted prospect Clay Buchholz displayed an overpowering fastball that was consistently clocked between 93 and 96 mph, a paralyzing curveball, a very effective changeup, and a slider that fooled several of Louisville’s batters yesterday in front of a crowd of 9,530 at McCoy Stadium.

But even his impressive performance — 10 strikeouts, three hits, two earned runs in five innings pitched — couldn’t stop the PawSox from falling, 11-1, to the Bats.

That’s because Louisville erupted for six runs on six hits in the top of the sixth inning against Pawtucket reliever Barry Hertzler (1 inning, 6 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks).

Pawtucket never recovered.

Yesterday, however, was about Buchholz and developing him into a major-league pitcher. Overall, he allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in his second PawSox outing.

“I felt good out there,” Buchholz said. “I felt balanced. … I just go out there and pitch to get outs. Being out there I don’t just want to throw fastballs the whole game and let them get hit hard. So I try to go out there and mix up my pitches.”

Buchholz went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA for Portland (in Double A) and led all of minor-league baseball for much of the season in strikeouts (116). He threw 74 pitches yesterday, 53 for strikes, mixing 26 fastballs with 25 changeups, 13 curveballs, and 10 sliders.

“He threw the ball really well,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “I was really impressed with his stuff. It was fun to watch. … It was a good outing. He threw good stuff. His fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup all looked really good.”

Buchholz, the Red Sox minor-league pitcher of the year last season (11-4, 2.42 ERA, 140 strikeouts), looked sharp early. He gave up only one hit while striking out three over the first two frames.

He said that the difference between the Double-A hitters and the Triple-A hitters is that the Triple-A hitters adjust more quickly. That was evident yesterday. The Bats were able to score two runs on Buchholz their second time through the batting order.

Buchholz ran into a bit of trouble after walking Paul Janish with one out in the top of the third inning. Janish advanced to third base on a Chris Dickerson double and scored on a Ryan Hanigan single.

Dickerson tagged up and scored from third base on Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly to center field to give the Bats a 2-0 lead. Buchholz did not give up another hit after that. He struck out six of the last eight batters that he faced.

“It’s a game of pitches and if you throw a good pitch and they hit it, then you have to tip your cap to them. But I really get frustrated out there whenever I throw a bad pitch and it gets hit, but that’s what they are supposed to do,” Buchholz said of the hanging breaking ball that Dickerson launched for a double. “They are getting paid to play too so if you hang them up there then they are going to hit it hard.”

Pawtucket cut Louisville’s lead in half in the bottom of the fifth frame when Zach Borowiak (1-for-2, double, 2 walks, RBI) drove in Kevin Cash (2-for-4, run scored) with a double, but that’s as close as Pawtucket got.

Louisville broke the game open in the top of the sixth inning when Jay Bruce and Jesse Gutierrez each hit an RBI single, Dickerson hit an RBI triple, Hanigan hit an RBI double, and Janish hit an RBI fielder’s choice grounder. Gutierrez scored on a throwing error in the inning.

Louisville starter Elizardo Ramirez (2-2) scattered five hits and allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.

Pawtucket managed only six hits yesterday.

roblee@projo.com