Buchholz gave up a solo homer to Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria and was the losing pitcher in the Red Sox's 4-3 loss to the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Just hours earlier, manager John Farrell had declared Buchholz would be tried as one of Boston's setup guys, after the right-hander had auditioned for high-leverage situations in blowout games Saturday and Monday. But Farrell is still searching for that reliable bridge to closer Craig Kimbrel. A Buchholz fastball caught more of the plate than catcher Bryan Holaday wanted and Longoria didn't miss it, belting a mammoth home run out of Fenway Park. Buchholz will still be in the mix for late-inning work, but we expect to see Brad Ziegler, who was unavailable Tuesday because of the flu, the next time a tight situation crops up in the eighth inning.