Clay Buchholz, right, was down-and-out after being pulled by Red Sox manager Terry Francona in the fifth inning last night.

AP / Jim Mone

MINNEAPOLIS — It isn’t that easy.

If Clay Buchholz didn’t know that coming into this season, the rookie right-hander has to know it by now, especially after the Minnesota Twins roughed him up in cruising to a 7-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox last night at the Metrodome.

It was Buchholz’s second dreadful outing on this long road trip as Boston fell to 4-4 on the 10-game journey with two games remaining in Baltimore, beginning tonight.

Of course, Buchholz could be excused if he thought his career would be one great performance after another. After all, he did toss a no-hitter against Baltimore last Sept. 1 in only his second big-league start.

But this year, the hot prospect is going through the growing pains that virtually every young pitcher has to endure in the majors. Buchholz has had his share of ups this season, but he also has had his share of downs.

And while Bartolo Colon works himself into shape in Pawtucket for a return to the big leagues, most likely in Buchholz’s spot in the rotation, Buchholz has been floundering of late.

Last night, Buchholz, handed a 3-0 first-inning lead in part on Manny Ramirez’s 498th career homer, was battered for seven runs on eight hits in only 4 2/3 innings.

Buchholz, 23, the 42nd pick overall in the 2005 draft, had a problem locating his fastball, and that inconsistency soon spread to his other pitches, resulting in five walks, three of them leading off an inning, always a recipe for disaster.

Five nights earlier, Buchholz lasted only four innings in Detroit. The Tigers cuffed the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder around for 10 hits and five earned runs in that one, so Buchholz’s earned-run average in his two starts on this road trip is an ugly 12.97, with18 hits and 12 earned runs surrendered in only 8 1/3 innings.

“Tonight it was his fastball command,” said manager Terry Francona. “His off-speed stuff is so good, but they were able to sit “soft” because he wasn’t throwing enough fastballs, and when he did they ran over the plate.”

Buchholz, meanwhile, was trying to search for an answer as to why he had such difficulties last night.

“I felt good in the ’pen. I felt my fastball was good, but I guess it wasn’t as good as I expected or wanted it to be,” said Buchholz. “It might have been that I was trying to throw too hard, like I do sometimes. Then I pulled a few of them (wide of the plate). I have to find that happy medium. I was leaving pitches up and they got hit.

“And when I went to my off-speed stuff they were all over it. It seemed like they were right on every first-pitch changeup,” said Buchholz.

A couple of those first-pitch changeups led to Buchholz’s departure in the fifth. Michael Cuddyer had a first-pitch single off a changeup in the fifth, and Delmon Young had another one. In between, Craig Monroe pulled a 1-and-0 changeup inside the third-base bag for a double.

Those hits, which followed a leadoff walk to Joe Mauer, helped the Twins tally three runs and knock out Buchholz. Minnesota broke open a one-run game and assuming a 7-3 advantage that the bullpen held for winner Livan Hernandez.

So far this year, Buchholz has been a different pitcher home and away.

At Fenway Park, Buchholz is 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA in three starts. In five starts on the road, Buchholz is 0-3 with an 8.64 ERA.

“It’s such a small sample,” said Francona.

“I don’t know what it is,” said Buchholz. “I try to pitch the same way. Maybe when I’m at home it seems like I have my good stuff and when I don’t, coincidentally, I’m on the road.”

Offensively, meanwhile, the Red Sox put the bat on the ball against Hernandez (6-1), racking up 10 hits in his six-inning stint. But Boston was able to score only three runs, all in the first inning, against the veteran right-hander whose change of speeds included a 59-mph curve ball.

So the Red Sox dropped three out of four against the Twins, and as they left for Baltimore, Francona and Buchholz were left to wonder how the rookie can get back in a groove.

“Experience won’t hurt, repetition won’t hurt, success won’t hurt,” said Francona. “He won’t back down and he works hard. Those are good traits, which is why you can believe in him.”

“I don’t know what anyone can tell me,” said Buchholz. “It’s in my hands. I don’t feel weak. I just have to fine-tune some things.”

Next Game

Tonight

at Baltimore

7:05 p.m.

skrasner@projo.com