For Once, NESN Makes A Good Hire In Terms Of An Ex-Red Sox Player To Work In Studio

If we're being real, NESN's pre and post-game coverage of Red Sox games isn't exactly appointment viewing. There are two criteria I use to decide if I'll watch on a given day or night: 1) what ex-player is sitting in and 2) was it an exciting/interesting game?

I won't pat the Watertown cable channel too hard on the back, since these are the same bozos that have hired stiffs like Jim Rice and Matt Stairs, but I will give them credit for making a good decision for once: today, they announced ex-pitcher Tim Wakefield will join the network starting tomorrow night.

Wake's first appearance will take place before Boston's game against Seattle at Safeco Field (10:10 p.m.), the third game of a four-game series. This time at least, he'll be paired with Tom Caron (a pro) and Rice (haha oh God).

From NESN.com
"Tim Wakefield has been an integral part of the fabric of the Red Sox and the New England community for the past 17 years," said Sean McGrail, NESN President and CEO. "We are extremely happy to add Tim to our all-star lineup of studio analysts and believe that he will bring a unique perspective to our coverage with his knowledge of the team and the rest of the league."

Wakefield retired at the end of last season after a 19-year MLB career, spending 17 years as a popular member of the Red Sox (1995-2012). He ended his career with 200 wins, 186 of them with the Red Sox, which ranks third behind only Cy Young and Roger Clemens on the Red Sox all-time career win list. He was the American League Comeback Player of the Year in 1995, an All-Star in 2009, and a two time World Series Champion.

He was also a champion off the field as one of the most charitable players in the league. He was nominated eight times for the Roberto Clemente Award, and honored as the 2010 recipient of this prestigious award. His partnership with the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston allowed him to spend time with patients. He has also been active with New England's Pitching in for Kids organization, the Touch 'Em All Foundation and the Space Coast Early Intervention Center in Melbourne, Fla.

Every time the knuckleballer talked to the media in his playing days, he was thoughtful, well spoken and he came across as a normal guy you'd like to have a beer with. That's a good sign although it's not a slam dunk that he'll be able to bring anything to the table when he gets paid simply to talk and give his opinions. What makes a good analyst (cough Dennis Eckersley) is pretty simple: don't protect any players, managers, front office, etc. Tell it like it is, that's all fans want to hear. Don't talk wistfully too much about your playing days and please don't use too many cliches because then you are useless (Rice).

I think I speak for everyone when I say goodluck Wake, we know (fingers crossed) that you'll be an upgrade on Rice and Matt Stairs. I'm also going to guess that he'll be better than Jim Corsi. Haha remember him?

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Red Sox Sweep The Mariners, Win 5th Straight But Head Out On The Road To Play Some MLB Teams

Thank God this homestand is over for the Red Sox, I don't know how many one-sided games I can take against these piss poor opponents.

Watching Boston (17-19, 9-11 home) beat up on shitbums like the Seattle Mariners (16-22, 9-14 away) does nothing for me, even when they roll like they did this afternoon-5-0 at rainy Fenway Park.

The Red Sox' fifth win in a row allowed them to finish 5-1 on this cakewalk homestand against Cleveland and Seattle.

To illustrate how hopeless the Mariners are, they let Josh Beckett (3-4) take a time machine back to 2007-when he was motivated and not a fat loser. He pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine. Seattle managed only four hits against him and he walked two. Rich Hill (8th) and Alfredo Aceves (9th) had clean innings for the shutout, something which barely alluded Jon Lester the night before.

On Tim Wakefield Day, David Ortiz (2 runs, 2 hits, walk) honored his old pal with a solo home run in the third. His eighth of the young season went into Boston's bullpen.

Mike Aviles had an RBI double in the fourth and Daniel Nava scored on the next at bat-Ryan Sweeney's ground out. Kevin Youkilis is set to start his rehab in the minors tomorrow but who cares, we've got Will Middlebrooks. The rookie third baseman provided an RBI single in the fifth while Aviles had another RBI double in the ninth to wrap it up and send Boston to the airport on a good note.

Things should really pick up in the next week and truth be told, we should know much more about this team over the next eight games: two in Tampa (23-14, first in the AL East), three in Philadelphia this weekend then three in Baltimore. The Red Sox took three of four a month ago as they faced the Rays in their season-opening home series but with the problems that Tampa Bay has given them the last few seasons, don't expect Boston to keep that up.

Tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) Clay Buchholz (4-1) faces Jeremy Hellickson (3-0) and Thursday night (7:10 p.m., NESN) Felix Doubront (3-1) opposes Matt Moore (1-3). Boston is in the middle of an insane 20 games in 20 days stretch, they've gone 6-6 so far and needless to say, these next eight games will give a good indication if the Red Sox are contenders at all this season or just a bully that beats up on bad teams (not named the Royals or A's).

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Thanks For The Memories Wake, You Were Truly One Of A Kind On And Off The Field

Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield will retire today, ending one of the most improbable careers in franchise and baseball history.

Wake played in MLB for 17 years, including the last 15 in Boston. He pitched in virtually every role: starter, closer, set-up man, long relief, mop up duty and was one of the most selfless players in a game full of guys obsessed with their own personal statistics.

Major League Baseball's oldest player at 45, Wakefield leaves the Red Sox with 186 wins, six shy of the franchise mark held by Cy Young and Roger Clemens. Wakefield notched his 200th win last season although that turned out to be a footnote in a brutal team-wide choke in September.

Since his primary pitch was a knuckleball, Wakefield was always treated as a sort of sideshow or oddity but his career totals proved his durability and a legacy that will probably never be matched by another pitcher (of any style) for the Red Sox.

His last season, 2011, was far from his best as he went 7-8 with a 5.12 ERA in 23 starts. He has a career record of 200-180 with a 4.41 ERA and 2156 strikeouts. He was drafted in 1988 by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a first baseman. Wake couldn't get out of the minors as a hitter so he learned how to throw a knuckleball and the rest is history (check out the million books about him).

For the Pirates in 1992, he went 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA and won two starts in the NLCS after getting called up earlier that season. He couldn't keep it up though and he was eventually released by Pittsburgh in 1995. The Red Sox signed him that year and he went 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA as Boston won the AL East.

He won 17 games in 1998 then filled in as closer in 1999 and picked up 15 saves. From 2003-08 he made at least 30 starts every season, winning 12 games for the Red Sox in 2004 (first World Series championship in 86 years) and he won 17 in 2007 when they captured another title.

Wakefield's 17 years in Boston are surpassed only by Carl Yastrzemski (23), Ted Williams (19) and Dwight Evans (19). For the Red Sox, he's third all-time in wins, first in appearances (590), starts (430) and innings pitched (3006) and second in strikeouts (2046).

Most of all, I'll remember Wakefield as a regular guy in a sport filled with the most douchebags and completely unlikable people. He never complained (well until the end), he was a consummate professional and teammate which means that he could have a promising career in broadcasting, coaching or with the Red Sox in some fashion. Basically, Wake can do whatever he wants for the rest of his life and why not, he deserves it. He's one of the easiest players to root for in my lifetime.

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The Red Sox Are Still Alive (For One More Day At Least) Thanks To Jacoby Ellsbury

Being unemployed and having a Sunday Night Football matchup of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Indianapolis Colts (with no Peyton Manning) will drive a man to do many things: drink, do drugs and the most abusive behavior of all-watching a 14-inning Red Sox-Yankees game.

Thankfully for my sanity, Boston (89-70) made it all worthwhile (kind of) with a thrilling 7-4 win over New York (97-62) in Yankee Stadium.

Mr. AL MVP Jacoby Ellsbury (sounds good, doesn't it?) made sure that the Rays wouldn't end the day tied with the Red Sox for the AL Wild Card as he crushed a three-run bomb off Yankees fossil reliever Scott Proctor (0-2).

Felix Doubront got a 1-2-3 14th for his first save of the season. It's not hyperbole to say that this was the Red Sox' most important win of 2011 since if they had lost (like they did earlier in Game 1 of the day-night doubleheader), they were cooked (tied with Tampa Bay).

John Lackey didn't exactly spin a gem but by keeping Boston in the game, he succeeded in his most meaningful start for the Red Sox. He allowed three runs in the first but Big Hoss (hat tip to El Pres) held on for six innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Alfredo Aceves (1.2 innings), Daniel Bard (1 inning, 3 walks), Jonathan Papelbon (2.1 innings), Franklin Morales (1-1; 2 innings) and Doubront teamed up for an incredible performance by the Red Sox bullpen which has been running on empty for weeks. Most impressive were Aceves and Papelbon who didn't allow any hits and Morales for holding on during a rocky 44-pitch, 2 walks outing.

Would you believe that J.D. Drew was in the lineup after a three month plus vacation (last game July 19)? Yup, when the team is collapsing you need to bring him in to deliver the goods. He actually got Boston's first run in the fifth with an RBI single.

Adrian Gonzalez's ground out in the sixth and Marco Scutaro's RBI double in the seventh tied it before Jason Varitek put the Red Sox ahead with an RBI single later in the seventh.

Chris Dickerson tied it with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

The win tonight more than made up for the forgettable 6-2 loss this afternoon and I don't just say that since I saw probably three total minutes of it. Hey, I had to watch the Patriots choke away a big lead to the Bills!

Tim Wakefield (7-8) lost that one just like we all knew he would. A.J. Burnett (11-11), Lackey's tattooed cousin from another uncle, was the latest recipient of Boston's turd sandwich against shitty starting pitchers.

From my perspective, the only notable aspect of Game 1 is that Ellsbury hit two homers (his 29th and 30th of the season). Coincidentally, the second one gave him 100 RBIs on the season. He's the first 30-30 player in Red Sox history.

Here we go, the 2011 regular season ends at Camden Yards. The pitching matchups are Josh Beckett vs. Tommy Hunter tomorrow night (one the O's won last week), Erik Bedard vs. Zach Britton on Tuesday and Jon Lester vs. Alfredo Simon on Wednesday. The Yankees go to Tropicana Field to face the Rays in their last pretend series.

If they can't beat the Orioles enough to hang on, there will be no excuses. Baltimore won three of four at Fenway last week. Hopefully this win propels Boston to the finish line and where they go from there, we'll worry about that later.

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Hey Rays, Get Out Of Our City!

I already posted my love letter to the Tampa Bay Rays last night so I'm not going to write any more unnecessary platitudes and slurping.

There's no need to dress anything up when Tampa Bay (85-67) closed out its season series with the Boston Red Sox (87-65) this afternoon at Fenway Park with a 8-5 win.

The victory propelled the Rays to a 12-6 advantage over the Red Sox this season and most importantly, it put Tampa Bay just two games behind Boston with 10 games left in the 2011 regular season. If necessary, Game 163 would be at the Trop next week.

If you can think of something nice to say about a team that lost six of its last seven against a divisional foe, including a four-game sweep this weekend at home, I'd like to hear it. To say the Red Sox are struggling is the understatement of the month. A split of the four games probably would have buried the Rays but now, Boston has to fight until the end of the regular season.

David Price didn't figure into the decision as he left after four innings (he was hit in the chest by a line drive). He allowed two earned runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

As expected, Tim Wakefield (7-7) was no match for Price or Tampa Bay. Career win No. 201 had to wait as he went five fruitless innings. He allowed six runs (two earned) on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Two throwing errors by third baseman Mike Aviles proved to be particularly costly.

Tampa Bay took any intrigue out of it early on an NFL Sunday and we'll thank them for that since the Patriots were playing at 4:15 p.m. Johnny Damon had an RBI double, Matt Joyce (3 hits, 3 RBIs) had an RBI single and Desmond Jennings (2 hits) had an RBI single all in the second inning.

Sean Rodriguez's sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 4-0 before Darnell McDonald got Boston on the board in the frame with a two-run double.

Things got sloppy in the fifth (a trend in Boston's death spiral) as Jennings scored on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's passed ball and Evan Longoria scored on Aviles' error.

Joyce's two-run single in the seventh put it out of reach at 8-2 in favor of Tampa Bay.

Aviles (2 hits) had a great series as he added a three-run bomb (his seventh of the season) in the seventh.

Joel Peralta got four outs (what a concept) to record his fifth save and his second in the last two contests.

So it's all come down to this: 10 more games to decide who gets the AL Wild Card. While the Rays are playing so much better at the moment, the Red Sox do have a distinct advantage schedule-wise.

Boston has four more games at home against the Orioles, three against the Yankees next weekend in the Bronx and then closes with three against Baltimore in Camden Yards. Tampa Bay has four in New York followed by three at home against Toronto and they end with three at the Trop vs. New York.

No rest for the weary as the Red Sox have a day-night doubleheader tomorrow with the O's. Kyle Weiland takes on Jeremy Guthrie at 1:05 p.m. and John Lackey faces Brian Matusz at 7:10 p.m. Two awful matchups in a season that is quickly dissolving into a complete debacle.

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Grandpa Wakefield Finally Records Win No. 200, Now Get Off His Damn Lawn!

It only took Tim Wakefield nine tries to get win No. 200 but he finally accomplished the milestone tonight and it couldn't come at a better time for the Boston Red Sox.

The 45-year old knuckleballer, MLB's oldest player, went six innings as the Red Sox (86-61) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 18-6 blowout of the Toronto Blue Jays (74-74) at Fenway Park.

Coupled with Baltimore's gift of a win over Tampa Bay, Boston moved back to four games ahead of the Rays in the AL wild card race. The Yankees held serve in Seattle with another win, New York leads the AL East by four games.

Since his last win took place way back on July 24, it was an honest question to wonder if Wakefield (7-6) would ever get to 200. Everything seemed to conspire against him: bad outings, the bullpen blowing it, tough luck, etc. The fact that it happened to be one of the most vital wins of the season for a team desperately trying to cling to a playoff spot is a feather in the cap of Boston's most professional athlete.

Wakefield went six innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Staked to a 10-5 lead, Boston's bats continued to come out of their recent coma as they piled up a season-high run total.

Brandon Morrow (9-11) was his typical erratic, not very good self. In 5.1 innings, he allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

Another great sign for the Red Sox is that Dustin Pedroia (5 RBIs, 4 runs, 4 hits) broke his cold streak with one of his best games of the season. Jacoby Ellsbury (4 runs, 4 hits, 3 RBIs), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (4 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 hits), Carl Crawford (3 runs, 2 hits), Marco Scutaro (2 runs, 2 hits) and Adrian Gonzalez (2 hits) all had multiple hits which made you quickly forget that David Ortiz was a late scratch with back spasms.

Toronto was competitive in the early innings as J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run blast into the Monster in the second inning and Jose Bautista (his MLB-leading 42nd of the season) added a two-run homer off Fisk's pole in the third.

Ellsbury (27th of the season) and Pedroia (19th of the season) went back-to-back to give Boston the lead for good in the fourth at 6-5. Pedroia padded his stats with a three-run shot in the sixth.

Alfredo Aceves locked it up for Wake with a scoreless seventh and eighth.

The record figures to skip tomorrow afternoon as John Lackey ushers out the last summer like day at Fenway with what's sure to be another unforgettable start. The Jays counter with Ricky Romero, who was great last week against Boston but typically struggles for some reason against the Red Sox.

One more time, give it up for Wakefield!

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Well This Has Certainly Become Painful, Wakefield Goes Sixth Straight Start Without Picking Up Win No. 200

At what point do we agree that the novelty of reaching a milestone in baseball has worn off and it's time to pull the plug on a player's seemingly futile quest?

In the case of Tim Wakefield and the Boston Red Sox, that day gets closer and closer as he started his sixth straight game on the cusp of 200 career wins and once again he couldn't get it done.

This would be one thing if Dr. Creepy and Co. were trying to milk some more money out of Red Sox Nation but this team is in the middle of a pennant race (that means so much for determining playoff opponents).

This one was over early tonight as the Oakland A's (60-71) put a damper on what should be a long couple days with a 15-5 win over the Red Sox (80-51).

Boston got a run in the first as Adrian Gonzalez drove in Jacoby Ellsbury (2 runs, 2 hits, stolen base) for a 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately, Oakland didn't let yesterday's ridiculous loss to the Yankees affect them as they scored twice in the second inning and six times in the fourth. David DeJesus (3 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 hits) and Cliff Pennington (3 hits, 2 RBIs) had RBI singles in the second before the roof completely caved in on Wake and the Red Sox.

Scott Sizemore and Josh Willingham had two-run homers, sandwiched around a two-run single by Hideki Matsui.

That was it for Wakefield (6-6) as he departed after four depressing innings. He allowed eight runs (four earned) on eight hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

Dustin Pedroia (17th of the season) and David Ortiz (3 hits; 26th of the season) went back-to-back in the fourth, giving Boston some hope that they could comeback on Gio Gonzalez (11-11) and the A's but it wasn't to be.

Gonzalez wasn't particularly good but compared to Wakefield, he looked like Cliff Lee. In 5.2 innings, he allowed four earned runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

Things got even more embarrassing in the late innings as Oakland piled up insurance runs (1 in the seventh, 4 in the eighth) on Scott Atchison (recalled from Pawtucket) and Matt Albers (4 earned runs). It was so bad that Darnell McDonald was summoned to pitch in the ninth and Willingham greeted him with a two-run double.

Josh Reddick got a two-run double of his own in the ninth, maybe that will get him going at the plate again. He's been lifeless lately.

Tomorrow promises to be a long day at Fenway, weather permitting. Jon Lester faces Guillermo Moscoso at high noon while Erik Bedard and rookie Graham Godfrey will try to conclude the shortened series at 5 p.m. before Hurricane Irene wreeks havoc on Massachusetts.

The Yankees similarly got smoked tonight, at Baltimore, so the Red Sox are still up a game on their main rivals in the AL East.

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At This Point, You Have To Wonder If 200 Wins Will Ever Happen For Tim Wakefield

Honestly, since he's the oldest player in MLB (45), you have to wonder at this point if Tim Wakefield will ever get his 200th career win.

It looked like it might finally happen last night as the Red Sox (76-49) led the Royals (52-75) 4-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth at Kaufmann Stadium but that's when Kansas City became only the second team this season (the Cubs being the other) that put up eight runs in one frame against Boston.

The Royals won 9-4 as Matt Albers (0.1 innings, 5 earned runs, 3 hits, 2 walks) ensured that Wakefield (5.1 innings, 4 earned runs, 9 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts) would spend another empty night sitting in the Red Sox dugout looking like a depressed puppy.

Albers has coming back to Earth lately which means that Dan Wheeler is waiting in the wings to handle his late-inning duties for a while.

It's been five chances now that Wake has come into a game stuck on 199 wins and either by his own average performance, the bullpen blowing up behind him or just plain shit luck, it hasn't materialized. You couldn't ask for much more favorable matchups either since the last three outings have come against the Twins, Mariners and Royals, not exactly world-beaters.

Without three All-Stars (Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis), Boston managed to get 10 hits but Kansas City trumped that with 14 of its own.

Alex Gordon led the Royals with three hits, two RBIs and a run while Eric Hosmer had two hits, two RBIs and a run with Billy Butler, Jeff Francoeur and Mike Moustakas all put up two hits, an RBI and a run.

Boston was led by rookie Ryan Lavarnway (2 hits, RBI, run, walk), Carl Crawford (2 hits, RBI) and Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, run).

Felipe Paulino (2-5) went six innings for the win, improving his career win-loss record to 8-30. Ugh. He allowed four earned runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Two lefties go at it in the series finale this afternoon as Jon Lester (12-6) faces Danny Duffy (3-7). The Red Sox need this game, particularly since they won't get to use Lester in their next extremely tough stop: four in Texas.

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Mariners Take Two Out Of Three From The Red Sox (Jumps Off Tobin Bridge)

If you're enough of a degenerate to wager on regular season MLB games, I've got a hot tip for you: bet the house against the Red Sox every time Tim Wakefield makes a start.

That might sound like crazy talk but it's hard to explain how the best team in the American League continues to find ways not to give the old guy his 200th career win. It also marked the first series since June 28-30 (at Philadelphia) that the Red Sox had lost.

This afternoon marked the fourth straight start that Wakefield (6-5) has pitched ok but has received a loss or no-decision. He pitched a complete game (eight innings) which saved Boston's taxed bullpen. Wake allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Likewise, I'd love to hear a non-homer explanation for why Boston (73-46) can consistently do well against MLB's best pitchers like CC Sabathia, Jered Weaver, Felix Hernandez, etc. but time and again they get shut down by mediocre bums.

However, if the Red Sox are going to get completely embarrassed by a nobody, I'm happy it's one from South Portland, ME and with as cool a name as Charlie Furbush.

An LSU product (he has to be the only person in the history of Maine to attend LSU), Furbush (3-4) went seven strong innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Kevin Youkilis made it exciting for about as long as it took him to round the bases when his two-run homer (his 17th of the season) in the eighth cut Seattle's lead to 5-3. However, Mariners closer Brandon League got his second straight 1-2-3 inning and save (his 28th of the season) in the span of about 17 hours and change.

The best part about this forgettable game was that it clocked in at two hours and 14 minutes, sure to be one of the fastest of Boston's season. In other words, as long as a Dice-K first inning or two innings of Yankees-Red Sox.

Seattle got three runs in the third as Jack Wilson (infield single), Franklin Gutierrez and Mike Carp (RBI single) all produced runs.

Jed Lowrie's sacrifice fly in the fourth got Boston on the board at 3-1 but the M's got one in the fifth (on Dustin Ackley's RBI single) and Casper Wells took Wakefield deep with a solo shot in the sixth.

Adrian Gonzalez had two hits and a run in the loss while Ichiro had two hits and a run in the win.

The Red Sox have tomorrow off as they return to the East Coast. They host a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays starting with a day-night doubleheader (Lester vs. Shields and Bedard vs. Niemann) on Tuesday at Fenway Park. Then it's back on the road with four in Kansas City and four in Texas, two miserable places to play in well always but especially during the August heat.

Let's all spend the time between now and then wisely, by washing off the stink of from awful series in Seattle.

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Wakefield Remains Stuck On 199 Career Victories But Red Sox Still Rally For Another Win

Just like the 16-inning game in Tampa Bay three weeks ago didn't seem to affect the Boston Red Sox too much (as they pummeled the Orioles the next night), they pushed on through their fatigue again tonight with a 8-6 win at Target Field over the Minnesota Twins.

For the second game in a row, the Red Sox (71-43) rallied for a win. This one lacked the Hall of Fame closer (Mariano Rivera) but Boston trailed 5-1 before tying it in the sixth.

For the third straight time, Tim Wakefield sat on the brink of 200 career wins going into a start and he couldn't get it done. Terry Francona left Wake in as long as he could handle tonight, in an attempt to get that mark out of the way. He went seven innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Twins (51-64) starter Scott Baker's performance was about as uneven as his team's this entire season. For once, I think you can stick a fork in Minnesota in August. The injuries have been too much to overcome. Baker couldn't protect the 5-1 lead; in six innings, he allowed five earned runs on nine hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia-hitting fifth and sixth with Kevin Youkilis having the night off-provided the power with a combined four runs, six hits and five RBIs. Ortiz had four hits (a triple shy of the cycle), three runs and three RBIs. Saltalamacchia had two hits, two RBIs and a run.

Big Papi's three-run homer (22nd of the season) in the sixth cut it to 5-4 while Salty tied it up with a solo shot of his own (11th of the season).

Marco Scutaro put together probably the best two-game stretch of his life with three more hits and an RBI (after four hits on Sunday night). Scutaro's RBI single in the second scored Ortiz and gave Boston a 1-0 lead.

Minnesota put up three runs of their own in the second. Jason Kubel (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) had an RBI single, Jim Thome had an RBI double and Thome came around on Salty's passed ball.

This one seemed to get away as Kubel hit a solo homer in the fourth and Joe Mauer made it 5-1 with an RBI double in the fifth.

Adrian Gonzalez (2 hits) got the Red Sox rally started in the sixth with a sacrifice fly which scored Carl Crawford-hitting second for one night.

Ortiz scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on an error by Mauer. The All-World catcher dropped a routine throw at the plate, Papi would have been out by a good distance.

Kubel took away the possibility of a win for Wakefield with another RBI single in the eighth off Alfredo Aceves (8-1) but Ortiz (RBI double) and Saltalamacchia (RBI single) got to Twins closer Joe Nathan in the ninth when he came on in a 6-6 game to start the frame.

Dustin Pedroia added two hits and two runs while Jed Lowrie had a hit in his return from the DL (shoulder injury). In total, the Red Sox pounded 17 hits and yet this game was exactly three hours long, go figure.

Trevor Plouffe had two hits and two runs for the Twins while Matt Tolbert notched two hits in the loss as well.

Aceves got out of the eighth allowing just the one run and he ended up snaking away another win (22-2 career record). Jonathan Papelbon got a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his 25th save of the season.

A pair of lefties go tomorrow night as Erik Bedard makes his second start for Boston against Minnesota's Francisco Liriano (who is either great or terrible, nothing in between).

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Yawn, Another Walk-Off Hit For Jacoby Ellsbury Vs. Cleveland

For a player that had never felt the joy of a walk-off hit in the majors, Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is sure getting used to the feeling as he had his second in a row against the Cleveland Indians tonight at Fenway Park.

Whereas last night's single won it in the ninth, Ellsbury ratcheted up the excitement this evening with a solo homer (his 18th of the season) with two outs in the ninth against Cleveland (54-54) reliever Joe Smith (2-2).

As a fun footnote, the ball landed in the first row of the center field bleachers about 10 rows in front of where I was sitting with my girlfriend and other friends from college. That makes it 2-for-2 for my girlfriend and I this season in terms of Red Sox (68-41) wins of the walk-off variety in both games we've attended (also Carl Crawford's single vs. Seattle on May 1).

For the second straight outing, Tim Wakefield pitched well enough to notch his 200th career win on most nights but he got a no-decision after 6.2 innings of work. He allowed three earned runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Hey, what's another few days to MLB's oldest player (he just turned 45 yesterday)?

Indians starter Carlos Carrasco also got a no-decision. He went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Reddick all had two hits as Boston outhit Cleveland by a 2-to-1 margin (10-5) overall.

David Ortiz gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the first with a two-run single which scored Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis.

Jason Kipnis put a run up for the Tribe with a solo homer (second night in a row he's done that) in the fourth followed later by an RBI double by Travis Hafner in the same frame that tied it at two.

Ortiz scored on Marco Scutaro's fielder's choice in the fourth.

Ezequiel Carrera's ground-rule double to right scored Lonnie Chisenhall in the seventh but Ellsbury sent everyone home happy with his blast in the ninth.

Like Ellsbury, Jonathan Papelbon (4-0) had another notable performance as he picked up his second win in as many nights with a 1-2-3 ninth complete with a strikeout. The unsung hero (and who thought I'd ever say this in my life) was Randy Williams. Yes, that one. He served as the bridge between Wakefield and Papelbon, getting four very important outs including no hits and two strikeouts.

Tomorrow night's series finale is an intriguing one as Erik Bedard makes his Red Sox debut against former Boston hurler Justin Masterson (who consistently pitches well against his old team). The Red Sox will look to win the series 3-1 and gain some steam going into a huge weekend meeting with the Yankees, who sit only one game back in the AL East.

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White Sox Still Own The Red Sox For Whatever Unknown Reason

Sure Chicago is a great city but let's be honest, the White Sox are nothing more than an average team in a bad division (AL Central).

Still that doesn't stop them from completely owning the Boston Red Sox in 2011, carrying on the tradition from the last few seasons as well.

The teams renewed acquaintances tonight in the Windy City and yet again, the White Sox (52-52) came out on top of the Red Sox (64-40) 3-1 at U.S. Cellular Field.

That marks seven straight wins for Ozzie Guillen's boys and 14 of their last 16 overall against Boston.

One streak was stopped for the Red Sox while another milestone had to wait for another day. Dustin Pedroia's 25-game hit streak (longest of his career and ever for a Boston second basemen) was ended along with his 37-game streak of getting on base after he went 0 for 4.

Likewise Tim Wakefield's (6-4) quest for his 200th win in a Red Sox uniform didn't happen despite a very solid start. He went seven innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. As is the case with most starts by Wakefield-precisely why he can't be counted on in the playoffs-he was great for most of his outing but out of nowhere he gave up a home run.

White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd (9-9) improved to 6-0 in seven career starts against Boston. He went seven innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia gave his team a 1-0 lead with a solo homer, his ninth of the season, in the third. Unfortunately that's all the Red Sox would get as they couldn't put anything together after that. Their best chance came in the sixth when Kevin Youkilis struck out looking (at a ball) with the bases loaded.

Paul Konerko's sacrifice fly drove in Juan Pierre in the sixth to tie it at 1-1 and A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-run blast in the seventh (driving in Carlos Quentin).

White Sox former closer and now setup man Matt Thornton got a 1-2-3 eighth with a strikeout for his 14th hold of the season. Closer Sergio Santos recorded a 1-2-3 ninth for his 22nd save of the season.

This rapidly paced game was over in a tidy two hours and ten minutes as both teams only had three hits apiece. Luckily, the Orioles beat the Yankees so the Red Sox hang on to a 2.5 game lead in the AL East.

Tomorrow night, Jon Lester (10-4, 3.23 ERA) takes on Philip Humber (8-6. 3.27 ERA) who is quietly having a good season.

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Wakefield Records A Milestone, Mariners Hit New Low In Red Sox' Sweep

Tim Wakefield and the Boston Red Sox sent the Seattle Mariners out of town with basically the Scarlet Letter for their inept team.

With Boston's (62-37) 12-8 win yesterday afternoon at Fenway Park, Seattle (43-58) was not only swept in the three-game series but they set a new low for the franchise with its record 15th straight loss.

It's basically impossible to see a pitcher get two standing ovations after getting knocked around for seven earned runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings (with a walk and four strikeouts) but that was the strange scene at Pink Hat Central.

Wakefield (6-3) got the extra dose of love since he became just the second pitcher in Red Sox history, joining Roger Clemens, to put up 2000+ strikeouts.

The win also gave Wake 199 in his Boston career, putting him on the cusp of even more history the next time he starts (Friday in Chicago against the White Sox).

Mariners rookie Michael Pineda (8-7) was a surprise All-Star this season but he was anything but in that type of form yesterday. In 4.1 innings, he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

The conveyor belt (somewhere Claude Julien smiles) that is the Red Sox lineup continued to churn out double-digits with 17 hits in the game.

Jarrod Saltlamacchia led Boston with three hits and four RBIs. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez each had three hits, two runs and two RBIs. Josh Reddick had two hits, two runs and an RBI, David Ortiz had two hits and two runs while Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits, a run and an RBI.

Kevin Youkilis smacked a two-run homer and scored two runs while Dustin Pedroia's double extended his hit streak to a career-high 21 games (an AL high this season) and he's reached base in 32 consecutive games (tops in the majors).

Brendan Ryan led Seattle with two hits and five RBIs. Franklin Gutierrez had two hits and three runs while Ichiro (run), Dustin Ackley (RBI) and Mike Carp all had two hits apiece.

Miguel Olivo gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead with a two-run bomb in the first.

No surprise, the lead was short-lived as the Red Sox put up a five-spot in the home half of the inning. Gonzalez drove in Ellsbury with an RBI single and Youk put Boston up 3-2 with a two-run shot (his 14th of the season). Salty's two-run single made it 5-2.

Ryan's RBI double in the fifth cut it to 5-3 in favor of the Red Sox.

Once again, Boston put up five runs, this time in the fifth inning. Crawford hit a two-run single to left (all three of his hits were to the opposite field, a good sign), Reddick had an RBI double and Saltalamacchia had another two-run single.

Gonzalez's RBI single in the sixth made the lead balloon to 11-3 for Boston.

Ryan's grand slam in the seventh cut it to 11-7, not that you had to worry since it was the M's. It also signaled the end of Wakefield's outing. Alfredo Aceves got the last eight outs of the contest.

Ellsbury added an RBI single in the seventh before Ackley closed out the scoring with an RBI double in the ninth.

The Kansas City Royals, a team that has an even worse record than Seattle, comes to Boston for their first meeting with the Red Sox this season. Jon Lester gets his first start since July 5 when he left a game early with the injury to his left latissimus muscle.

Facing Kyle Davies (1-9) and a team that he's 4-1 against all-time (including a no-hitter) with a 1.22 ERA seems like the perfect matchup for Lester to get back on his feet. Needless to say, he's a huge piece of the Red Sox' playoff hopes in this season which gets brighter as each day passes by. Boston remains three games ahead of New York for first-place in the AL East.

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Tim Wakefield As Your Number 2 Starter in 2011? So Far, So Good

With a season-ending injury to Daisuke Matsuzaka and trips to the disabled list for Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield (the oldest man in MLB) has gone from forgotten spare part to a key component of the starting rotation.

That's not an ideal situation but the Red Sox are riding this string of bad luck with injuries into the All-Star break so that they can regroup and hopefully get more healthy.

Last night, Wakefield (5-3) struck out a season-high seven as Boston (51-35) took two out of three from Toronto (42-46) with a 6-4 win at Fenway Park.

Wakefield lasted seven innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with a walk.

Daniel Bard got two outs in the eighth before there was a 28-minute rain delay. Dan Wheeler got the final out of the frame after the tarp was pulled off the field. For the second night in a row, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon had a shaky outing (giving up a run) but he still managed to strike out the side for his 19th save of the season.

Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero (7-8) continued to mystify as he's a quality MLB pitcher against virtually every other team except the Red Sox. He went 4.1 innings, allowing six earned runs on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Jacoby Ellsbury (3 RBIs, run, stolen base) and Kevin Youkilis (run, RBI) both smacked three hits for Boston's offense.

Yunel Escobar went 4-for-5 for Toronto while Jose Bautista (2 RBIs) and Travis Snider added two hits apiece for the Blue Jays.

Bautista gave Toronto a 1-0 lead in the first as his single drove in Escobar.

Ellsbury quickly tied it up with a leadoff homer, his 10th bomb (a career-high) of the season.

Youkilis followed with his 12th homer of the season in the second inning for a 2-1 Boston lead.

The Blue Jays took one more lead in the third as Bautista drove in Rajai Davis with a sacrifice fly and Adam Lind plated Escobar with an RBI single, 3-2 Toronto.

The Red Sox put up a crooked number in the fourth with four runs. Darnell McDonald tied it with an RBI single, Yamaico Navarro had an RBI double and Ellsbury (who's had a great season thus far) knocked in two with a double of his own.

Escobar got the last Toronto run in the ninth as he hit an RBI single off Papelbon.

The Baltimore Orioles come to Fenway for the last series of the unofficial first half of the 2011 season. The four-game set starts tonight with Andrew Miller taking on O's youngster Jake Arrieta.

Baltimore is still one of the worst teams in the American League and baseball so three out of four isn't too much to ask despite John Lackey and Alfredo Aceves (not to mention Miller) all slated to start in this series.

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Just another afternoon in the City of Champions

Yesterday was a formerly rare occasion that has happened all too often in the last decade in Boston: one of our local teams celebrated the championship of another one.

With the Boston Bruins parading around Fenway Park on Duck Boats during the pregame, holding the Stanley Cup, I can say that you're an extremely lucky bastard if you were at yesterday's Red Sox-Brewers game. The Bruins wore their jerseys and Red Sox hats, then threw out the ceremonial first pitches.

There's not much cooler than the synergy between the four pro sports franchises in Massachusetts and that's also one of the best parts about living in this area, at this time. The unscripted scene at Fenway is something that people in most other parts of the country can't even imagine and we've been witness to that a bunch of times. It's also a symbol of how much we love all our teams, not just one or two. If you win here, you'll be extremely popular.

The Red Sox (43-28) certainly didn't spoil the good times as for the second time in three games, they smoked Milwaukee (40-33), this time it was 12-3 as Boston took two out of three in the series.

Brewers ace Yovani Gollardo (8-4) was knocked around for eight runs (five earned) on nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three innings.

Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield (4-2), who had just turned 40 the last time the Bruins won the Cup in 1972, was the third straight Boston pitcher to throw eight innings. Wake allowed three earned runs on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts. With Clay Buchholz placed on the DL with back trouble, Wakefield's spot in the rotation is locked in for at least the next few starts.

Carl Crawford was also placed on the DL (on Saturday) with a hamstring strain but that didn't stop the Red Sox from getting 14 hits including three homers.

Boston put up six runs in the first inning to take most intrigue out of it on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, 2 RBIs) scored on Gallardo's error, Kevin Youkilis crushed his 11th home run of the season (a three-run bomb) and Ellsbury delivered a ground-rule two-run double in his second at-bat of the frame.

Crazy Nyjer Morgan got the Brewers on the board with a two-run homer in the second.

Boston added two more runs in the fourth including a solo home run by Dustin Pedroia (his sixth).

Pedroia's sacrifice fly in the fifth made it 9-2 and Marco Scutaro hit a two-run shot (his 2nd of the season) in the sixth.

Prince Fielder hit a solo homer in the seventh and Adrian Gonzalez closed out the scoring with an RBI triple (the 1000th hit of his career) in the seventh.

The San Diego Padres, Gonzalez's former team (and his hometown), come to Fenway for three games beginning tonight. Andrew Miller was called up from Pawtucket to make his first start for the Red Sox. Padres left-hander Wade LeBlanc takes the ball for the worst team in the NL West.

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Shields shuts out Red Sox, snaps nine-game win streak

Well it was bound to happen at some point. As sure as nobody will ever care about the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida and they'll never build a decent fan base in the land of medicare and blue hair, the Boston Red Sox weren't going to win all their remaining games in 2011.

"Big Game" James Shields (6-4) finally lived up to his preposterous nickname with a 4-0 shutout (his third of the season) over the Red Sox (39-27) in the series opener last night at Tropicana Field.

Shields allowed five hits with three walks and five strikeouts as the Rays (36-31) backed his outstanding start with some timely hitting off Boston starter Tim Wakefield (3-2).

In what was likely his last start (for now) with Andrew Miller getting called up from Pawtucket, Wakefield acquitted himself well. He went seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits with five walks and two strikeouts.

Adrian Gonzalez had three hits but the rest of the Red Sox, including Carl Crawford who was 0 for 3 in his return to the Trop, couldn't put anything together at the plate.

Justin Ruggiano gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the fifth as he jumped on a high knuckleball from Wakefield.

Two passed balls in the sixth by Jarrod Saltalamacchia gifted a run to Tampa Bay.

Former Red Sox great Casey Kotchman made it 3-0 with an RBI single in the eighth and John Jaso added another RBI single for the final Tampa Bay run in the frame.

Not that anyone in New England will be watching, save for until the puck drops (in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals: Bruins vs. Canucks) and between periods, but the baseball game tonight should be a good one with Josh Beckett taking on Rays youngster Jeremy Hellickson.

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Yawn, Red Sox take another game from the Yankees

It was so considerate of the Boston Red Sox to get out to a big lead last night on the New York Yankees, meaning that you didn't have to worry about them while we watched the Bruins dominate the Canucks in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Boston (35-26) was up 7-0 in the top of the fourth and hung on for a 11-6 win over the Yankees (33-26) last night at Yankee Stadium. It gave the Red Sox six wins in the teams' seven meetings so far this season and also catapulted Boston a game ahead of New York for first place in the American League East.

The game that figured to be dominated by hitters with Tim Wakefield and A.J. Burnett on the mound, turned out just as you'd expect with both teams using them as batting practice.

Wakefield (3-1) at least saved some face and survived for 5.1 innings, earning the win. He allowed five earned runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Alfredo Aceves, the former Yankee, picked up his first save of the season by getting the final 11 outs. He allowed one earned run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts. More importantly, with Bobby Jenks back on the DL (what a useless tub of goo) and the Red Sox bullpen taxed, Aceves gave them some much needed rest in the brutal heat.

Burnett (6-4) used to own Boston when he was in the no-pressure zone of Toronto. Since he's been with the Yankees, he can't do anything positive against the Red Sox. Last night in 5.2 innings, he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

Jacoby Ellsbury (3 hits) led off the game with a single, he stole second and moved to third on an error by Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs). Adrian Gonzalez drove Ellsbury in for a 1-0 lead. For the second straight game, David Ortiz went deep (his 15th of the season) with a two-run bomb in the first. There was no bat flip so Joe Girardi will have to find some other inane thing to cry about.

J.D. Drew made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly in the second. The Red Sox tacked on three more runs in the fourth, including an RBI double by Ellsbury.

Alex Rodriguez really stepped up in the clutch with a solo homer when his team trailed 7-0 in the fourth. After Cervelli's RBI double, Derek Jeter's RBI single and Mark Teixeira's sacrifice fly, New York cut it to 7-4 in the fifth.

The teams both scored one run in the sixth before Boston put it away with a pair of home runs in the ninth. Carl Crawford (sixth of the season) had a solo homer and Drew hit a two-run bomb off somebody named Lance Pendelton (Joba is on the DL and is going to have Tommy John surgery).

Teixeira's RBI single in the ninth made it 11-6 which was the final margin.

Josh Beckett faces CC Sabathia tonight in the series finale. A win would give the Red Sox their second straight sweep in Yankee Stadium and it would plant some serious dobut in the Yankees' minds.

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White Sox sweep the Red Sox at Fenway Park

For the life of me I can't figure out why, since they're not particularly good, but you can't dispute the ironclad fact that the Chicago White Sox own Fenway Park right now.

After polishing the Boston Red Sox off yesterday afternoon 7-4 for a three-game series sweep, Chicago (27-31) won its seventh straight at Fenway. They're 13-2 against Boston (30-26) in their last 15 games and 9-1 since the start of last season. What do you want me to do, call the White Sox my daddy? (Pedro Martinez reference).

A 3-0 lead for the home team didn't mean much as Tim Wakefield (6 innings, 4 earned runs, 7 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts) and the Boston bullpen melted down in a rare midweek afternoon game.

Gavin Floyd (6-5) was shaky at first but he settled down and got the win. He went 6.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on nine hits with a walk and a strikeout.

The Red Sox put up three in the second inning as Jed Lowrie drove in David Ortiz with a ground-rule double and Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked in two with a single.

Brent Lillibridge got an RBI double in the fourth to pull Chicago within 3-1 before the White Sox tied it in the fifth. Alexei Ramirez (3 hits, 3 run) drove in a run with a ground out before Carlos Quentin hit an RBI double. Wakefield could have got out of the inning on a clear out on the basepaths by Juan Pierre but that's not how the goober umpire saw it. Instead, Quentin got the hit and Boston spiraled out of control.

Lillibridge hit a solo homer in the sixth but Ortiz answered with his 13th of the season in the bottom of the frame to tie it at four.

It was the Paul Konerko show from there as he had an RBI double in the seventh which scored Ramirez and then a two-run bomb (scoring Ramirez) in the ninth off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.

White Sox closer Sergio Santos got a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout for his ninth save of the season.

Matt Albers (1-3) was charged with the loss after giving up three hits (including Konerko's double). He has come back to Earth after a great start in his Red Sox career.

Some scary stuff too as Rich Hill threw a pitch and then came out with an elbow injury. Dice-K is going to be out for the entire season with Tommy John surgery but nobody cares about that. Hill was a local guy that had found himself this season with Boston. Hope he's OK. Plus, he was the Red Sox' only lefty in the bullpen. Hideki Okajima is in Pawtucket but he has nothing left at this point. Theo Epstein is going to have to get some more reliable bullpen options.

The Red Sox are grateful to have a day off today after going for almost three straight weeks without one (and no, the last three days don't count). The Oakland A's come to town this weekend for a three-game set.

Call me a jerk but I honestly hope Dice-K and Lackey never return

When did the 2011 Boston Red Sox become such a wagon?

Holy shit, they've won 12 out of their last 14 games after a tidy 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers last night at Comerica Park.

As I said yesterday about Alfredo Aceves, spot starter Tim Wakefield (2-1) is doing an excellent job and at this point, I hope John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka never return. It's much more satisfying to watch two guys with low expectations succeed as opposed to overpaid bums that were never good fits here anyways.

The Red Sox (29-22) are also alone in the American League East after the Yankees lost last night in Seattle. The Tigers (25-25) haven't shown much of a pulse yet against Boston this season, falling to 0-4.

Wakefield went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Detroit's Rick Porcello (4-3) only lasted three innings as he allowed six earned runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, stolen base) gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the first as he scored on wild pitch by Porcello.

Miguel Cabrera tied it up in the first with an RBI single which scored Austin Jackson. The Tigers took their only lead of the game in the second when Jhonny Peralta hit a bomb (solo) off Wakefield.

Any thoughts of a win for the miserable people in Detroit was quickly extinguished as the Red Sox hung five runs on Porcello in the third. Ellsbury hit a solo homer (his sixth), Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run double and Carl Crawford hit a two-run homer (his fourth of the season).

Daniel Bard threw a scoreless 1-2-3 eighth on six pitches but Peralta hit an RBI double off Jonathan Papelbon (non-save situation) in the ninth but who cares?

Clay Buchholz takes the mound tonight for Boston against Detroit rookie lefthander Andy Oliver (who was called up when Phil Coke rolled his ankle the other night). Good luck to you guy, Red Sox are mashing right now.

Tim Wakefield: your grandparents' favorite Red Sox player

I'd say the weekend series against the Chicago Cubs was a success for the Boston Red Sox.

Sure, a nightmare of an eighth inning on Saturday night prevented them from getting the sweep but Friday's blowout win (15-5) and last night's tidy 5-1 win at Fenway Park proved that the Red Sox (25-21) are built to win any type of game. On the other side, the Cubs (20-25) are not very good at all as this weekend proved and it's going to be another long season, not that they're drunken fans will really notice.

Tim Wakefield (1-1) helped Boston win its eighth game in its last nine tries, his first victory of 2011. The oldest player in MLB went 6.2 innings, allowing four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts.

With Matt Garza scratched from the start with elbow trouble, the Cubs had to rely on a shaky bullpen, led by some bum named James Russell (1-5). He went four innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, one walk with two strikeouts before turning it over to three other scrubs and Kerry Wood.

Adrian Gonzalez continued to be the best hitter in baseball not named Jose Bautista as he went 4 for 4 with a double and two runs scored. Dustin Pedroia added two hits and a run, David Ortiz had two hits and Kevin Youkilis added a two-run triple.

The Red Sox scored twice in the fourth on RBI sacrifice flies by Jed Lowrie and Mike Cameron (who shouldn't have a job in baseball anymore) which scored Gonzalez and Youkilis respectively.

Saltalamacchia crushed his third homer in four games (yes even he has started to hit, a sure sign of the Apocalypse) in the fifth, his third of the season for a 3-0 Boston lead.

Jeff Baker's RBI double in the seventh spoiled Wakefield's unlikely shutout bid, scoring Starlin Castro.

Youkilis hit his two-run triple off Wood in the seventh to the triangle in center. Pedroia and Gonzalez scored on the play.

After getting two games off, Daniel Bard looked refreshed and worked out of the seventh and got a clean eighth, finishing with two strikeouts.

Jonathan Papelbon allowed a hit but struck out two in the ninth during the non-save situation.

What better place for the Red Sox to go than Cleveland? The Indians are the best team in baseball right now and they swept Boston in the first week of April. This three-game set could serve to show how far the Red Sox have come from that disastrous start and April in general. Clay Buchholz opposes former Red Sox Justin Masterson tonight. I'd be shocked if Cleveland sweeps Boston again.