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Blue Jays-Red Sox Preview

May 12, 2010 - 5:05 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Toronto (19-15) at Boston (17-16), 1:35 p.m. EDT

The Boston Red Sox hope they'll eventually be a part of the race for the AL East title. On Wednesday afternoon, they'll settle for pulling into third place.

Boston would leapfrog Toronto if it can complete a second three-game sweep of the Blue Jays and cap an impressive homestand with an eighth victory in 10 games.

After their first losing April since 1996, the Red Sox (18-16) are finally gaining momentum in May.

Although their homestand was interrupted by back-to-back blowout losses to the New York Yankees, they won a season-high four straight over the Los Angeles Angels last week and would equal that streak with a win Wednesday.

They're already 5-0 against the Blue Jays (19-16), in stark contrast with their 4-12 record versus the rest of the AL East. Boston swept three games in Toronto from April 26-28, and followed Monday's 7-6 win with a 6-1 victory Tuesday night.

Seven strong innings from Daisuke Matsuzaka buoyed the Red Sox on Tuesday, and lowered the ERA of Boston's disappointing rotation to 5.09.

"That was huge," second baseman Dustin Pedroia told the team's official website. "Hopefully we can build on that and come out (Wednesday) and win another game."

This was supposed to be Josh Beckett's turn in the rotation for Boston, but the right-hander was first pushed back two days to give him extra time to correct his recent problems. Now, Beckett won't even start Friday due to back spasms.

Tim Wakefield (0-1, 6.03 ERA), who has spent the last few weeks in the bullpen, will replace him. The 43-year-old knuckleballer started the season in the rotation but lost his spot when Matsuzaka returned from the disabled list.

Wakefield wouldn't comment on being relegated to a relief role, but Red Sox manager Terry Francona seemed to anticipate he'd be needed again.

"I think we feel for various reasons that he's a guy that can handle this," Francona said last month. "I understand emotions are involved and a lot of things are involved. This is not us turning him into a reliever."

One problem for Wakefield has been the inability to slow down baserunners. Opponents have stolen 11 bases in his 31 1-3 innings without being caught.

Wakefield has allowed 11 runs in 7 2-3 innings while losing his last two starts against Toronto, but he's still 10-6 with a 3.66 ERA against the Blue Jays since the start of 2004.

He'll likely need a strong performance to keep pace with Toronto's Shaun Marcum (1-1, 3.19), who is off to an impressive start in a return from Tommy John surgery.

Marcum has six quality starts in seven outings, holding opponents to a .219 average. He limited Boston to one run in seven innings of a game the Blue Jays lost 2-1 on April 27.

The right-hander did not get a decision Friday at Chicago, but held the White Sox to three runs and did not issue a walk in 7 2-3 innings of Toronto's 7-4 win.

The Blue Jays' offense, which has often struggled to support Marcum, has been held to one or zero runs in three of its five games against Boston this season. The club managed only four hits Tuesday.

Two of them came from leadoff man Fred Lewis, who has seven multi-hit performances during an eight-game hitting streak, but Aaron Hill and Adam Lind continued to slump, each going 0 for 4.

Hill and Lind are a combined 9 for 74 (.122) on the Blue Jays' current road trip, which Toronto can finish at 7-3 with a win.