Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was all pumped up after fanning Todd Helton to end last night’s interleague game against the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park.

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL / Bob Breidenbach

BOSTON — All but one batter in the Colorado Rockies’ lineup had never before faced Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

It showed last night.

Wakefield provided one of his most efficient performances of the season to help Boston to a 2-1 victory over the Rockies in the first game of a three-game set at Fenway Park. He improved to 6-7 on the season, turning in a solid eight-inning outing in which he allowed just one run on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

Even before last night’s game, the Rockies were sitting in the tight confines of the visitor’s clubhouse, watching game tape of Wakefield in order to get some kind of inclination of what his knuckleball does.

The study session went for naught.

Only the Rockies’ Todd Helton had previously faced Wakefield and the Red Sox veteran pitcher kept the opposition off balance all night. Boston’s offense was an RBI double by Kevin Youkilis in the third inning and J.D. Drew’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth.

The rest was all Wakefield

“I knew he had good stuff,” said Boston manager Terry Francona. “It is a little easier to say that after the eighth inning, but he came out and was good. He was good right up to the end.”

Helton, who only faced Wakefield once in 2002 and grounded out at Fenway, spoke prior to the game about the difficulties of interleague play and facing pitchers you haven’t seen before.

On the flip side, the Red Sox were in the same situation as Rockies starter Aaron Cook was solid also, working 7 1/3 innings and allowed two runs with two walks and four strikeouts.

“You’re going up against guys you haven’t faced, especially the relievers,” said Francona. “That’s the first time you get to look at a guy, and the next thing you know you’re 0-2 before you see what he has. It’s difficult, and I’m sure it’s the same thing for them.”

Francona said that with the way Wakefield was throwing, it probably wouldn’t matter how many times the Colorado hitters had faced him. He was just that locked in.

Wakefield and veteran knuckleball guru Tom Candiotti recently worked together during a bullpen session and, along with batterymate Doug Mirabelli, the threesome tweaked Wakefield’s mechanics. He said after the game the session worked and he felt comfortable.

He was also solid in his previous outing in Oakland last week, when he allowed three runs on seven hits with two walks and eight strikeouts, but he suffered the loss. It was obvious he carried that momentum into last night’s game, only this time he came out on the winning end.

“I felt really confident in the way the ball felt in my hand and the movement that I had,” Wakefield said of his outing in Oakland. “I kind of carried that into today, and Dougie did a phenomenal job behind the plate.”

Wakefield said he threw more fastballs, probably more than he has all season, which set up his knuckler perfectly..

“He had a good [knuckleball] tonight,” said Colorado manager Clint Hurdle. “He was able to pitch off his fastball a little bit, too. He’s an accomplished guy who has pitched a lot of big games and he doesn’t get shaken up out there. For a lot of our guys this is their first experience against him. This is the hardest part about interleague play.”

Wakefield’s eight-inning performance was a season-high before he exited and handed the game over to Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who earned his 15th save of the season by retiring the Rockies in order in the top of the ninth inning.

“To be able to hand the ball over to Pap in the ninth is pretty special,” said Wakefield. “He’s a pretty special guy.”

If the Rockies thought last night was tough, it doesn’t get any easier as they face Curt Schilling tonight and Josh Beckett tomorrow. Until tonight’s first pitch, Wakefield and his dancing dandy will probably be their minds.

“There’s no rematch,” said Hurdle. “They don’t get to see him again.”

Colorado probably doesn’t want one.

jmcdonal@projo.com