Buchholz feels 'really good' after simulated outing

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A few hours before the Red Sox played their first Grapefruit League game, Clay Buchholz simulated a start on Field 2, firing two innings.

One of the luxuries of a longer Spring Training this season is that the Red Sox can be conservative with Buchholz, who tweaked his right hamstring during PFP (pitchers' fielding practice) 11 days ago.

Buchholz looked healthy on Saturday, facing Mike Carp and Lyle Overbay.

"I felt really good," said Buchholz. "The one thing I definitely need to sit back and work on is [working] out of the stretch. I didn't get to go in depth with it. There are obviously some kinks in the delivery, but other than that, I feel strong.

"Obviously, first and foremost, the arm feels really good, and the hamstring was secondary to that for me. I've been running the last couple of days, sprint stuff, and I haven't had anything holding me back."

Assuming there are no setbacks, Buchholz could make his Grapefruit League debut as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.

"They told me four days ago if it was midseason and I needed to pitch, then I could pitch," Buchholz said. "We're basically treating this as we have two extra weeks in Spring Training and there's no rush. I'm still going to have six, maybe seven outings, before we head north. I don't think there's anything that's going to be holding me back in the next few days."