By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Times sports writer

 PAWTUCKET – With his fiancé Lindsay Clubine by his side, Clay Buchholz veered towards the McCoy Stadium parking lot, ready to enjoy a three-day respite after enduring one of his toughest starts of the season on Sunday.
Buchholz hadn’t even reached Division Street when his cell phone went off, telling him to hurry on back to the clubhouse. Waiting for him in Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson’s office was minor league pitching coordinator Ralph Treuel and PawSox pitching coach Rich Sauveur, all eager to deliver the news that Buchholz has longed to hear.
Buchholz found out his first start following the All-Star break will take place Friday night in Toronto. With two Boston starters (Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield) bound for Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic in St. Louis, the Red Sox came to a decision that would afford the members of their rotation an extra day’s rest following baseball’s annual in-season vacation. The pitcher Boston ultimately chose to fill Friday’s opening is someone who has been chomping at the bit to redeem himself.   
“The stress of everything of being (in Pawtucket) and all that stuff… I’ve said it a couple of times before that I’ve put a lot of that on myself for the season I had last year,” said Buchholz, referencing the rough go he had last season (6.75 ERA in 16 big-league games before getting demoted to Double-A Portland). “That’s how things go, but opportunities come up and I’m glad I was the guy they went to for it.”
From what Buchholz was told, nothing is guaranteed in terms of remaining with the parent club beyond Friday. He also downplayed the idea that the start is a showcase for other MLB teams to size him up with the trade deadline less than three weeks away. As an interesting tidbit, Toronto had two scouts present at McCoy on Sunday to watch the spindly right-hander surrender five runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss to Syracuse.   
“I’ve been with the (Red Sox organization) for four years now. I’ve shown things that I can do and when things go wrong,” said Buchholz. “If I’m up there for one start and back down here, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. We’ll see where (Friday) leads me.”
Added Johnson, who has served as a comforting figure for Buchholz during a stretch that has undoubtedly tested the 24-year-old’s patience: “It could be one and (back to Pawtucket) and he knows that. It could be two and back. Nothing is guaranteed. Right now, at this point in his career, he’s mature enough to understand that his next start will come in Toronto and not here. I was pleased to see that because it shows he’s becoming professionalized a little bit.”
All Buchholz could control was what transpired every time he took the mound for the PawSox. He heads into the break with a 7-2 record (the second defeat coming at the hands of Syracuse) and a miniscule 2.36 ERA. In 93 2/3 innings entering Sunday, opponents were batting .177 against Buchholz, who has also registered 86 strikeouts, 29 walks and tossed one complete game.
International League batters, however, weren’t the only ones becoming frustrated. So too was Buchholz, though his discouragement was mounting due to the logjam of pitching in Boston. With no starting spots open, Buchholz began to wonder if his chance to pitch for the Red Sox this season would ever arrive, sometimes making his feelings public.
“I don’t think I have anything to prove,” Buchholz said earlier this month. “I’ve done everything (the Red Sox) have asked of me up until this point. I think I should be at the top of the list for them to give me that promotion.”
On Sunday, all that became water under the bridge. “He burst onto the scene two years ago when he threw that no-hitter, and ever since then there’s been high expectations,” said Johnson. “He obviously scuffled a little bit last year, but now he’s got an opportunity to pitch.”
Buchholz said he was thankful that the decision was rendered Sunday, so he would have a few days to soak in news while relaxing in Cape Cod with his fiancé.
“The first time I got called up in ‘07 and it was the day before. I couldn’t go to sleep that night and had everybody calling me,” Buchholz said. “At least I’ve been there before and I know what to expect. It’s a lot better knowing that I’ve actually pitched in Toronto a couple of times already. I know the atmosphere, and it’s going to be a fun day for me. I’m going to go out there and pitch like I’ve been pitching here. … It’s going to be a fun day.”
“There wasn’t going to any surprises as far as waiting until the last minute,” said Johnson.
Relief seemed to pour out of Buchholz upon emerging from Johnson’s office.  PawSox teammates Chris Carter and Bubba Bell quickly walked over to express congratulations.
“He’s worked very hard this first half and deserves it,” said PawSox pitcher Michael Bowden, whose locker is right next to Buchholz’s. “They have veteran guys (in Boston) and they’re staying healthy. Some of us would rather be up there, but we’ll get our opportunity.”