The Sox starter turns in seven strong innings as Boston avoids being swept by Cleveland.

09:25 AM EDT on Thursday, June 30, 2005

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Two losses -- the second more disheartening than the first -- were weighing heavily on the Red Sox yesterday. A series sweep by the Cleveland Indians was at stake and the bullpen, a sore spot for much of the season, was depleted, having imploded the night before.

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl

Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield prepares to pitch during the first inning of yesterday's win over Cleveland at Fenway.

More than ever, the Red Sox needed Tim Wakefield yesterday afternoon. And never one afraid of a challenge, the veteran knuckleballer understood what was needed.

"I knew the situation going into the game," acknowledged Wakefield, citing his responsibility. "I knew what needed to be done."

The Red Sox not only needed him to pitch well, but they needed him to pitch deep into the game. True to form, Wakefield did both, laboring through seven steamy innings and throwing a season-high 115 pitches.

The effort seemed to ease the Sox' anxiety, and not so incidentally, snap the losing streak. Limiting the

Cleveland Indians to just two runs -- both on solo homers -- Wakefield willed the Sox to a 5-2 yesterday.

"I'm very thankful that I was able to go seven innings," said Wakefield.

That wasn't easy in the muggy soup that enveloped Fenway in a rare weekday afternoon contest. The humidity served as a double-edged sword for Wakefield's signature pitch.

"There's a lot of resistance," said Wakefield, "and (in the humidity it) moves a little but more. But it was hot today -- real hot."

Wakefield had to work early in the game. With two out in the first, he walked Travis Hafner and surrendered a double to Victor Martinez. But he retired Jose Hernandez on a flyout to end the threat.

It was more of the same in the second when a leadoff single by Jody Gerut, a stolen base and another walk gave the Tribe two on and one out. But Wakefield dug in and got two popups to keep the Indians off the board.

"I had better stuff in my last two starts than I did today," maintained Wakefield, 7-6, who hasn't lost since June 6. "But I battled through a couple of those innings and I was able to make a good pitch when I needed to."

The Sox had used a double from Trot Nixon and a Wall single from John Olerud in the fourth to take a 1-0 lead off Scott Elarton. But when Casey Blake homered in the fifth and Victor Martinez led off the sixth with a solo shot of his own, the Tribe led 2-1 and the Sox had just three hits.

But on the third time through the batting order, the Sox seemed to solve Elarton. Consecutive doubles from Manny Ramirez and Nixon tied the game at 2-2, and a two-run belt over everything from Doug Mirabelli and a solo blast immeidately thereafter from Mark Bellhorn -- just the second back-to-back homers for the Sox this season and the first at home -- was enough offense.

The Sox just needed a couple of looks at Elarton. The more familiar they are, the more potent they become.

"I think most good hitting teams, that's probably the tendency," said manager Terry Francona, "especially if you work pitchers and you see all their pitches. The second or third time through the order, they may not have the pitch to fully get you out the way they did the first time."

"You have to wait for a mistake and a lot of times, that doesn't happen for a while," Mirabelli said. "Lineups can hurt you at any point and when that happens, the stress level goes up and you've gone through five or six innings, and now you're getting tired as a starting pitcher. You know at some point, you're probably going to make a mistake."

Mirabelli's two-run shot was the key, putting the Sox ahead for good. It was his second homer in as many starts. Over his last four starts, he's 6-for-14 (.429) with five RBI.

"He pays attention," said Francona of his catcher. "He watches pitchers when he sits in between days. He watches everything. He watches tendencies, release points. He talks all the time about getting the barrel to the ball somehow and he has a way of doing it with men on base."

Armed with the lead, Wakefield pushed himself through one more inning before turning the game over to the duo of Matt Mantei and Mike Timlin, and on this day at least, the bullpen didn't disappoint.