Buchholz charge sparks backlash

BOSTON— While some quarters of the Toronto media targeted Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz for cheating, the Boston media did not leave Canada without taking a shot of their own.

“There’s a bad stench coming from north of the border and the Red Sox left here smelling likes roses,” Boston Herald columnist Michael Silverman wrote Friday.

The column was headlined “No mystery about Jays,” and “Biggest disappointment so far in 2013.”

Silverman called the Jays the “Astros of the North, a team spinning into what looks like a death spiral, and it’s only early May.”

Former pitcher Dirk Hayhurst, now a broadcast analyst for the Jays, said this week Buchholz was “absolutely” cheating in Wednesday’s start. An article on the Sportsnet website included photos of Buchholz, including one showing him wiping two fingers across his forearm, which appeared to be partially covered with a white substance. Jays broadcaster Jack Morris, an ex-pitcher himself, agreed.

Buchholz brushed aside the allegations, saying he puts rosin on his arm and occasionally wets his fingers to get a better grip. Manager John Farrell insisted the photos were “false” and backed Buchholz’s claim. Buchholz (6-0) leads the majors in wins and the AL in ERA (1.01).

“What’s unusual is how one baseball team was supposed to be so good turned out to be so bad,” offered Silverman. “Maybe someone should stick the Blue Jays’ announcers on that and see if they can solve that crime.”