| 20 July 2010
With Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett scheduled to come off the DL this week and Daisuke Matsuzaka posting a 3.13 ERA and a 4-1 record in his last 7 starts... it looks like Tim Wakefield will be the odd man out going forward.
Wakefield (3-8, 5.65) has struggled this year and his last two starts have been just plain awful. Last time out, he coughed up 7 runs (6 earned) to the Rangers in just two innings of work. Before that, he allowed 6 runs to the Rays through 5 innings and walked six batters, a season-high.
Tonight, he'll take on the A's knowing full well that this may be his last start for quite a while. Eventually, the Sox may chose to give extra rest of Jon Lester (128 IP) and John Lackey (120 IP), but until then, Wakefield will likely be asked to help out from the bullpen.
Wake is 11-7 with a 4.22 ERA against the Athletics in his career and has been slightly better away from home this year, posting a 2-3 record and a 4.40 ERA on the road. That said, the last time he saw Oakland, he coughed up 6 runs on 8 hits (2 dingers) through 6 innings in an 8-9 loss on June 3rd.
Bottom Line: It's looking like Wake's days are numbered, but I hope he gets another start at Fenway before this season is over. The guys at SurvivingGrady.com named him the face of the franchise a few years back and I whole-heartedly agree. He's been a company man and a workhorse for 15 years and I would love nothing more than to see 7 more innings of dancing knucklahs and shaky knees before this season comes to an end.
Tonight we do it for Wake!
Key Matchups
Jack Cust is 10 for 22 (.455) against Wake in his career and Kurt Suzuki is 6 for 15 (.400) with two ding dongs.
Adrian Beltre had three hits last night, including a crucial homer. In this current lineup, he is the K.M. until further notice.
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