Yes, it's true. The knuckler did not have a good outing. And I knew it was going to be bad after the first inning.
See, in the first Wakefield gave up three runs. Then another four in the third inning. So, by the time Francona pulled him, the A's were up 7-2 and there was no chance for the Sox to recover. Not when the opposing pitcher of the night was the A's version of Josh Beckett.
While Wakefield walked four and gave up eight hits and eight runs, Rich Harden only gave up three walks, four hits and two runs. But the more important stat, he struck out eight. That's right eight. Twice as many as the Sox's dear old knuckleballer.
Who knows why it was an off night for Wake. Maybe his age is catching up with him. Maybe it's the fact that it was a chilly evening in Oakland, as it was in the high 40's. Maybe the lack of rest accounts for the bad outing. After all, the Red Sox had just been on a plane for 6 hours and were starting the game at 10:05 eastern. Maybe it was my father finding a quarter in the Coliseum's parking lot last night when he went to the game. Maybe it was all those reasons combined.
Who knows why? The fact is they lost. What's worse, the Yankees won. As a matter of fact everyone in the American League East won last night. All except Baltimore who were playing Tampa Bay. So while the Sox are still leading the East, they're now only leading by a game and a half. Here's hoping Beckett can get the Sox back on track tonight.
As for Timlin, of who I am not a fan. People, including my father, will point out his last few successful outings. I've seen them and I know he's doing well. And no one was more surprised than I to see him go not one but two innings last night without giving up a run or even a hit. But he's still a liability. (Actually, right now the entire bullpen seems to be a liability.) So, until I see several more outings from #50 with the same results as last night, I'm still going to have stomach pangs whenever I see him warming up.
Keywords: Rich Harden, Timlin, Wakefield, Yankees
