When Tim Wakefield is on, he is on. When he is off, the Sox hitters better be dead on. Tonight, it was vintage Wake, who pitched 8 solid innings, and giving up only 2 hits. Between Wake and Timlin, the Sox only surrendered 3 hits, sending the Tigers back to the drawing board as they lost their 5th straight. The Sox were fueled by back to back homeruns by Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, who is coming into his own again and slowly creeping his average up there.
Sox Hero of the Game: Tim Wakefield. Hands down. He could have gone the distance for sure, but it was a great chance for Timlin to get in there with a 5 run lead and able to get some work in.
Unsung Hero: Kevin Cash. Having a 3 for 4 night is an added bonus for whoever your catcher is whenever you have Wake on the mound.
Props go to: Manny. Manny said earlier in the year it didn't matter if Ortiz was hitting because he would hit for him and help him out of his slump It appears Manny has done just that, as teams aren't pitching around Ortiz and giving him stuff to hit.
Lingering Question: If Schilling comes back without any issues with his injury, how good can this pitching staff be? Think about it: Beckett, Dice-K, Schilling, Wake, Lester. It gives you a lot of flexibility with guys like Buchholz who the Sox want to take it easy on, but can come in during mop up situations or when the Sox are getting hammered.
It's the beginning of May. Not the time to get too excited, but this is the kind of ball Sox fans need to see from Boston, especially when the Yankees seem to have everyone on the DL.
Comments