Projo Sports Blog

By ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON - Tim Wakefield is having an unforgettable season.

Not only did the 42-year-old knuckleballer break Roger Clemens' record (382) for the most pitching starts in a Red Sox uniform (384) this season, but after 17-years in the Majors, he was finally selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career this year.

He knew that no matter what he did last night in Boston's series finale against Oakland that he was going to complete one of the best first-halves of a season in his career. But he also knew that he could finish the first half of the season as the American League leader in wins with a victory last night. And that's what he set out to do.

Mission accomplished.

Wakefield (11-3) got into his share of jams, but in the end made the pitches count when he needed to. He out-dueled Oakland rookie Trevor Cahill (5-8) to help lead the Red Sox to a 5-4 triumph over the A's at Fenway Park.

While Oakland put at least one runner in scoring position in three of the first four innings, and four of the first six against Wakefield, who allowed only one earned run on 10 hits with eight strikeouts in six innings plus two batters, the Red Sox only had one scoring opportunity in the opening five frames against Cahill (5 1/3 innings, 4 runs, 1 strikeouts, 3 walks).

The Red Sox finally solved Cahill in the sixth when they exploded for four runs.

J.D. Drew led-off the momentum-swinging sixth frame with a solo home run that tied the score at 1-1.

After a Dustin Pedroia infield single and Kevin Youkilis walk, David Ortiz sent a Cahill offering over the fence in right field for a three-run homer on a 2-1 pitch to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead.

An error by shortstop Nick Green in the top of the seventh inning got the A's back in the game. The Red Sox should have ended the frame without giving up a run when Scott Hairston popped out to first base. Bobby Crosby failed to tag up on the pop up and should have been thrown out at second base for the double-play, but Green, after receiving the ball from first baseman Mark Kotsay, could not find the bag with his foot before Crosby got back to the base.

The next batter, Kurt Suzuki, ripped a two-out, two-run single to left field that slashed Boston's advantage to 4-3. But Ortiz gave the Red Sox a 5-3 cushion in the bottom of the seventh frame by plating Drew with a RBI groundout to second base.

Oakland did its best to rally against Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon but came up short. Papelbon walked the first batter he faced, Adam Kennedy, and Orlando Cabrera followed that up with a single before Scott Hairston drove-in Kennedy with a sacrifice fly to center field to make it a one-run game.

Papelbon came right back and struckout Matt Holliday, but he gave up a single to Suzuki which put runners on first and second base with two outs. With the game on the line, Papelbon struckout Jack Cust to earn the save, his 22nd of the season.

Holliday ignited the Oakland bats in the top of the second inning when he crushed Wakefield's first pitch of the frame off of the Green Monster in left field for a double. Suzuki followed that up with an infield single and Jack Cust drove-in Holliday with a RBI single he hit to left field.

Wakefield appeared to be in trouble with runners on first and third base with no outs after that, but he got Ryan Sweeney to fly out to third base before striking out Mark Ellis and Bobby Crosby to get out of the jam.

Oakland left 11 runners on base.

 Tags  Boston Red Sox Red Sox Rob Lee Robert Lee Tim Wakefleld

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