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Red Sox's Patriots Day solution? Sleep in the clubhouse

BOSTON - By major league standards, it was a major inconvenience, and the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles felt as if it was the first night-day double-header, but Monday morning, no one was openly complaining.

The Red Sox, for the first time in franchise history, were playing their traditional Patriots Day game at 11 a.m., after coming off a night game.

The Red Sox and Orioles, playing an ESPN night game, finished playing Sunday at 10:30, and were back at Fenway Park just 10 hours later.

Well, some guys never left.

Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz, who started Monday, simply spent the night in the Red Sox clubhouse. Fellow starter John Lackey stayed with him.

And so did first baseman Mike Napoli.

Red Sox manager John Farrell thought about it, but declined.

"I had my own sleeping quarters,'' Farrell said, laughing. "This is a quick turnaround. We're on short rest, the game goes on. We'll be there.

"I can't say with bells on, but we'll be raring to go.''

"How do you feel this morning?'' he said.

Buchholz, surely, could have felt better.

The Red Sox's starter was rocked for six runs while recording just seven outs, putting the Red Sox in an early hole at Fenway.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter, with the coffee brewing early in his office, didn't care for the scheduled ESPN Sunday Night game. Yet, he certainly understands the significance of Patriots Day, particularly after the marathon bombing of a year ago.

"This is very important to our country,'' Showalter said, "not just Boston.''

Just how difficult is the quick turnaround?

"It's such uncharted territory for everybody," Showalter said. "Ask me after the game. I just hope that [both teams are] operating on the same thing except they slept in their bed.

"It's a different clock than you ever have. It's even different than the spring

"The only thing I ever worry about is the quality of [play]. We're all trying to deliver a certain level of play each day.

"Some are more challenging than others.''