Buchholz and Kelly show the good and bad

Clay Buchholz and Casey Kelly, two premium prospects, showed how dominant they can be at their respective levels, and also how it can slip away quickly.

Buchholz, 24, picked up his sixth win (2.05 ERA) in Triple. He went 7 innings (5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K). Buchholz retired the first 10 batters he faced. Then he gave up three straight singles and a double.

Buchholz finished by retiring 10 of 12 batters (one grounding into a double play).

Kelly, 19, has been better-than-advertised in his first full season, although he has been off-and-on in advanced Class A. His ERA rose to 3.32 afer 5 innings on Thursday (6 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 2 K). A grand slam did not help.

But then Kelly retired the last 8 batters he faced.

Greenville pitching prospect Nick Hagadone had an interesting line: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K. One run scored on a walk, wild pitch, stolen base and ground out.  Hagadone walked two runners in the second inning. They both scored after he left the game.

One prospect to watch is 19-year-old outfielder Ryan Westmoreland. He was considered a tough sign last year, and the Red Sox got him in the fifth round, finally agreeing to a $2-million signing bonus. He is just coming back from a torn labrum and is playing in Lowell (.267). He went 3-for-5 with two doubles on Thursday.

Tommy Hottovy finally gave up some runs, pitching for Lowell. He gave up a two-run home in one inning's work.