TWO RUNS IS ENOUGH SUPPORT FOR WAKEFIELD

A few weeks ago, one of my friend's had a friend visiting him, and he was bemoaning his struggles in his fantasy baseball league. I told him "Is Wakefield available? If so, pick him up."

"Why the hell would I want Tim Wakefield?"

Here's why:

Wakefield threw 7 innings, allowed 3 hits, and 3 walks. He didn't allow a run, he struck out 2. His ERA is at 2.11. That's 8th best in the Majors and 2nd best in the AL behind Haren. The 3-3- record is deceiving considering the lack of support he's gotten. If anything, the 3 wins are impressive.

The Sox didn't give Tim much help, but it was enough. The Sox were held scoreless until the 6th when Ortiz blasted one off Silva. That was enough. The Sox added an insurance run in the 9th when Drew tripled and Crisp knocked him in with a basehit.

Once again, great bullpen work. Romero pitched 0.2 innings, then Donnelly finished the 8th with 1 pitch. Papelbon was saved by a Coco Crisp grab (did you see it?), but wound up pitching a perfect 9th for his 9th Save.

Man of the Game was Tim Wakefield. Seven scoreless, AND he was sick!

Honorable Mentions:
Carlos Silva: 7 IP, 1 ER
David Ortiz: 1/3, HR, BB
Coco Crisp: 1/4, RBI, great catch

SOX WIN SLUGFEST AGAINST SEATTLE

Good teams are capable of winning all kinds of games. 12-10 offensive battles, 2-1 pitching duels, and 6-3 "middle" games. This game was an example of a good win, even though it's NEVER good to allow 7 runs to score. Matsuzaka had control issues (he's falling behind in counts too often, as feared in my season preview), but the bullpen pitched well and the Sox hitters gave him some good run support.

Kyle Snyder had a solid outing from the pen, he's become a solid middle relief guy (probably because he pitches once a week). He got into a jam but Donnelly rescued him. Then JC Romero got the Save. Where was Papelbon? That's a question that has remained unanswered. Nevertheless, good to see that someone besides Paps can get a tough save. Romero was the 4th different Sox pitcher to record a Save, Papelbon, Okajima, and Timlin being the others. Is this Bullpen By Committee Redux?

When Manny Ramirez starts to hit consistently, this ball club will go from scary to fierce. He had a big night and is the Man of the Game. He went 2 for 5 with a pair of homers, including the 8th inning game winner. All 3 of Manny's RBI came with 2 outs. It's May and this is Manny's first Man of the Game for the season. Tells you how slow he's started.

Honorable Mentions:
Jose Guillen: 3/4, double, 3 RBI, run
Wily Mo Pena: 4/4, double, run scored
Brendan Donnely: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 2 inherited runners stranded