Taylor Buchholz received handshakes and pats on the back from his teammates before Saturday's game against the Phillies. Buchholz was smiling the entire time for good reason. It has been a long and winding journey back to the Major Leagues for Buchholz, who was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs after Friday's 6-0 loss. The Rockies optioned right-handed reliever Jhoulys Chacin to Colorado Springs to make room for Buchholz. Buchholz, who had been recovering from Tommy John surgery, had a career year for the Rockies in 2008 with a 2.17 ERA in 63 appearances. But he suffered an elbow injury in Spring Training in '09. His last Major League appearance came all the way back on Sept. 9, 2008. "It's been a long ride, lots of ups and downs," Buchholz said. Was there ever a time when he thought he might not make it back? "There's always that moment," Buchholz said. "You don't want to believe it too much. I've had some ups and downs. Right now, I have the full gamut of emotions working. If you put some hard work in, well, it got me to this point." The Rockies can sure use some veteran experience in the bullpen, and Buchholz may have a chance to help immediately. "We want to find out where we are," manager Jim Tracy said. "This is a dynamic arm. He was one of the best setup men in 2008. We want to expose him to some things." It's ironic that Buchholz landed with the Rockies in Philadelphia. Buchholz and his wife Ashley make their offseason home in nearby Springfield, Pa., where he was a standout baseball and football player at Springfield High School. With the temperature hovering around 100 degrees on Saturday, Buchholz wasn't hit with many requests for tickets. That's fine. He's just happy to be back in the Majors. "It's funny it worked out this way," Buchholz said. "I'm making it back up here in my hometown and get to be around my family and friends. It's pretty nice." http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/new...12575940&vkey=notebook_col&fext=.jsp&c_id=col
