Tim Wakefield

According to Ian Browne from redsox.com, Wakefield was one of the pitchers they were saving in the case that the game went into extra innings.  “Okay,” one might say, “then why did it have to be Wake? Why did they have to save both him and Beckett for extras?”  Ian Browne comes to the rescue again saying that Wakefield was well rested.  I also think that they took into consideration his ability to pitch more than one inning without hurting himself.   Wakefield is blessed with being able to pitch without his full five days rest because of the slow knuckleball.  In addition, Maddon was told to save extra pitchers because last year both the AL and the NL nearly ran out (who could forget that 15 inning game?)  So Wakefield was on the list of pitchers to save in case of extra innings. 

Continue reading "Why Wakefield Didn’t Get To Pitch ..."

which gave us the lead for good. 

But that’s not all that happened yesterday.  Tim Wakefield was named an All Star for the first time in his 17th year as a major league baseball player.  Sure, we’re still happy for Bay, Pedroia, Youkilis, Beckett, and Papelbon.  But it was Wakefield we were all praying for to make the team.  And he did it.  Congrats, Wake!

Continue reading "Monday Night Baseball at Fenway: Very Exciting"

Ever since I was little, I remember going to Fenway Park and seeing Wakefield pitch.  About five or six years ago, I remember complaining to my friends in high school about how as much as we loved the guy, it felt like he was the pitcher we always saw on the mound.  I haven’t made it to Fenway yet this year, but when I do I personally can’t wait to see him pitch. 

Continue reading "Growing Up With Wakefield"

Tim Wakefield has shocked everyone in Red Sox Nation by starting off with a 5-2 record and a 3.59 ERA.  He has also thrown two complete games.  I’ve mentioned before how I thought Wakefield should have called it a career prior to 2009, but he’s proved to me and everyone else that he should stay right in the Sox rotation where he belongs. 

Continue reading "Sox Thoughts - Some Positives About Our Pitching"

t the case. 

As it turned out, I missed an awesome pitchers duel between Brian Tallet and Tim Wakefield.  Although it wasn’t a no hitter, it was quite a battle by both pitchers.  Wakefield got the win after pitching an impressive 8 innings while only allowing 5 hits and 2 walks.  He surrendered one homer to former Red Sox player Kevin Millar (boy did he crush that ball).  He also struck out three.  To top it off, it was only a 97 pitch effort by Wakefield.  I wrote earlier this season about how this is the complete opposite I was expecting Wake’ to pitch this year, and I couldn’t be happier that he’s proving me wrong.  Keep it up, Wake’!

Continue reading "Well That was a Fast One"

I tried writing this before yesterday's game but had some computer troubles. I'm going to do my best to combine both games. Let's start off by saying that I know I'm not the only fan who knows the Angels deserved a win Friday night.

Continue reading "Sox and Angels Both Get Wins Despite Some Anxiety"

If Game 3 was a disaster, I don’t even know what to call Game 4.  Unfortunately, I was there to witness the whole thing.  What we had to hoped to be a great evening turned out to be one of the worst Sox games I ever sat through.

Continue reading "Sitting under the dark clouds at Fenway"

would be the 3rd straight series lost to the Rays and the Sox would be 3 back in the loss column.

Tim Wakefield got the start which was not a good move. Wakefield struggles in domes because there is no wind. Wakefield is a knuckleballer and without some wind, that knuckleball is just going to be a flat mess, the equivilant of a batting practice fastball. Wakefield's ERA is 1.70 higher this season in domes as opposed to open stadiums. Nonetheless, he got an early 2-0 lead to work with thanks to a top of the 1st 2 run homerun by Big Papi.

Continue reading "Red Sox Report 9/18"

e 2-1 win and the 1 game lead in the AL East.

The Rays and Red Sox play again tomorrow as streaky Tim Wakefield and his knuckleball take on young phenom Matt Garza and the Rays in what is the

Continue reading "Red Sox Report 9/16"

esday and featured Josh Beckett against Andy Sonnanstine and the series will wrap on Wednesday with Tim Wakefield and Matt Garza.

Continue reading "Red Sox Report 9/14"

I'll start with Friday night's game.

Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield took the mound for the Red Sox on Friday. He had been roughed up pretty badly in his last start against Texas, but if there is anyone that can rebound, it's Wakefield. He was going good in the early innings and just needed some run support. The Red Sox got him that in the 2nd and 4th innings, both coming off of the bat of Jed Lowrie. Rookie Lowrie had been a run producing machine driving in 42 in 66 games, while batting .305 with runners in scoring position.

Continue reading "Red Sox Report 9/13"

unknown if that had anything to do with his the oblique injury that he recently missed 3 weeks for. Tim Wakefield has nothing wrong with his shoulder and will make his next start. JD Drew (back

Continue reading "Red Sox Report 9/7"

Due to an unfavorable matchup, I predicted a poor start from Tim Wakefield in tonight's game against the Rangers and a poor start was what we got. Wakefield gave up 7 runs in the 2nd, an inning which he did not finish. The final line for Wakey, is 1.2 pitched 7 earned and his 10th loss of the season. Even worse is the fact that Red Sox officials think Wakefield possibly reinjured the shoulder that put him on the DL a couple weeks in tonights game and the last thing they need right now is another longterm injury. They should play it safe with Wake and use Michael Bowden to spot start for him his next time around. It would be smart to have caution with Wakefield and a good chance to let Bowden prove that his last start wasn't just a fluke.

Continue reading "Red Sox Report 9/6"

ries in Texas tomorrow, looking for their 8th straight win over Texas and their 5 straight overall. Tim Wakefield goes for the Red Sox against young Matt Harrison of the Rangers. I expect a bad

Continue reading "Red Sox Report 9/5"

Why do the Red Sox tend to forget that? I'm not taking anything away from their performance at Fenway this weekend. They outright and embarrassingly beat the Sox this weekend, but seriously? The Red Sox just seem to suck game in and game out against the Blue Jays all the time for some unknown reason. They're 2-6 against them on the season. Great! Does anyone know what was Josh Beckett's problem yesterday? Doesn't he realize after the outstanding numbers he put up last year that it's strictly against the rules to suck on any ocassion? Who didn't include him in on that memo? Also, Paul Byrd, your performance has caused me to not make any concrete judgments on you. I'll analyze you at a later date.

Continue reading "THE BLUE JAYS AREN'T GOOD."

have been a Boston Red Sox fan since 1997 when they acquired Knuckleball throwing starting Pitcher Tim Wakefield and the tremendous team captain catcher Jason Varitek.  Tim Wakefield

Continue reading "Who is your Favorite Red Sox Pitcher?"

Quick thought: what happens to Paul Byrd when Bartolo Colon or Tim Wakefield come back from the DL, assuming Paul Byrd continues this post all star game hot streak? You're never suppos

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wrote about last night's game.  Upon finishing the blog, I learned some disturbing news about Tim Wakefield.  I thought I'd share that first:

“Tim Wakefield has been scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday with tightness in the back of his shoulder, the same injury that kept him off the World Series roster. Wakefield has already been sent back to Boston, where he'll be examined by Dr. Thomas Gill.

Continue reading "Dice-K dominates, but Wakefield goes to the DL..."

To start off with - yes, he is.  But let's not jinx him.  I've written time and time again that Jason Bay is not going to stay this hot and I'm worried that there are some fans out there who think he's superman and will go 2-4 every game until the season ends.  While that's not going to happen, I'm as happy as anyone that this guy has gotten a hit every single game he's played for the Sox.

Continue reading "Is Jason Bay ever going to cool down?- ..."

eckettesque) but Matsuzaka and the young crew, even the knuckleballer (my favorite Red Sox pitcher) Tim Wakefield, are pitching well.   

Analysts and fans questioned his innings and they were correct in 2008 where he’d throw, in some games, five innings but he has adjusted to the Major League Baseball setting and has thrown at least six innings in each of his last five wins.  

Continue reading "Has Dice-K Boded Well?"

ries wraps up as ESPN's Sunday night game with Joba Chamberlain, 2-2, 2.22 facing the knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, 5-6, 3.72.

A big congrats to JD Drew for being named the Sharp Presents Amer

Continue reading "A slump headed into Yankee Stadium...."

So there I was, lounging on the couch with my dog, half-way paying attention to Kevin Cash's eighth-inning at-bat Wednesday night. Half-way paying attention, you see, because Cash's last 40 or so trips to the plate have resulted in something of a similar outcome - ugliness. Obviously nobody is expecting a 40-40 season from a back-up catcher, and he continues to do what he was brought here to do - catch Wake - but his swing hasn't exactly been drawing comparisons to Griffey, Jr. of late.

Continue reading "Catching A Break"

ew years.

Boston’s entry is a little less unconventional, if only because they already have Tim Wakefield, baseball’s most successful full-time knuckleballer. R.A. Dickey of Seattle is the only other guy to throw it regularly (he’s got a 1-3, 3.97/1.55 ERA/WHIP this year, with 17-22, 5.70/1/57 career line), while guys like Mike Mussina use a modified knuckle-curve.

Continue reading "Two Kooky Pitchers"

on this season so far by winning six games not to mention the strikeouts he has been getting.  Tim Wakefield is his old knuckle-balling self with getting a decision every time he pitches.  At the back end of the rotation is promising, more so than the New York Yankees future pitching in Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes.  Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson will be key pitchers within five years.  Starting pitching is not the problem.Relief Pitching: Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon are the top guys in the relief positions however, even though we would love them to pitch every night, that’s just not possible.  Who can fill in for those guys?  Well thankfully not Eric Gagne anymore!  The Red Sox have some up and comers in Manny Delcarmen, Erich Hull and Craig Hansen but the one that is really getting on in years and is giving up the long ball too much is Mike Timlin who was key to the 2004 World Series run.  Relief pitching, with a couple of minor tweaks, is not the problem.

Continue reading "What else can the Red Sox do?"

And knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who won two more games than Dice-K last year, will be back. Rumors are that he'll play until he's about 65. There'll be a struggle for the fifth position in the rotation with lefty Jon Lester and right-hander Clay Buchholz leading the pack.

Continue reading "Getting closer"