• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Wakefield hopes to inch closer to milestone vs. former Pirates club

Jun 25, 2011 - 2:56 PM (Sports Network) - When Tim Wakefield takes the hill against his former Pirates club for just the second time in his career tonight, a sense of "what if" may just settle into the executive offices of PNC Park.

Wakefield looks to take another step toward the career 200-win mark as his Boston Red Sox continue a three-game series with a Pittsburgh club hoping to notch a fourth straight victory.

The Pirates made Wakefield an eighth-round selection in 1988 and he appeared in 27 games with the club in 1992-93, going 14-12. However, command was often an issue for the knuckleballer and he was released by Pittsburgh in 1995.

Wakefield quickly joined the Red Sox and hasn't left since. He has appeared in 574 games with the Boston franchise, including 415 starts, posting a 183-162 record and 4.39 earned run average.

Injuries have led to the Red Sox putting the 44-year-old back in the rotation and he has responded with a 4-1 mark over his last six outings. Wakefield pitched a season-high eight innings on Sunday to beat the Brewers, allowing three runs on three hits, two of those homers, and one walk with six strikeouts.

The righty was also backed by plenty of runs in the 12-3 triumph, something he said helped his outing.

"I've always said that if the offense scores that many runs it makes my job a lot easier knowing I can make one or two mistakes," said Wakefield, who is now 4-2 with a 4.26 ERA in 17 games (8 starts) this season.

While Wakefield will be pitching in Pittsburgh for the first time since his final start with the club back on Sept. 30, 1993, the righty did face the franchise in Boston back on June 18, 2005. He got a no-decision with seven scoreless innings.

The Red Sox would like a similar outing tonight after they dropped Friday's opener, 3-1. Paul Maholm gave up just one run over 5 1/3 innings before turning things over to the bullpen and Jose Tabata hit an RBI single to key a two-run third inning for the Pirates.

Lyle Overbay singled home an insurance run in the sixth inning to lift the Pirates to a third straight victory. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have lost three in a row for the first time since a four-game skid from May 29-June 1. Their current slide comes on the heels of a 14-2 stretch, but they did maintain their half-game edge over the Yankees for the top spot in the American League East.

"You know, we had it going so good for so long," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "You want the good streaks to be long and the bad ones to be short."

Jon Lester took the loss for the Red Sox, failing in his bid to become the majors' first 10-game winner, while Kevin Youkilis drove in Boston's only run on a ground out in the first inning.

Without the designated hitter spot, David Ortiz was out of the starting lineup even though Adrian Gonzalez had volunteered to give up first base and play the outfield, a move Francona could entertain tonight. Ortiz did ground out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning with two outs and runners on second and third.

The Pirates will try to break out with some offense tonight for Jeff Karstens, who has given up just two earned runs over his past four starts, spanning 27 2/3 innings, but is 1-0 in that span with Pittsburgh losing two of the games.

Karstens did not get a decision on Sunday at Cleveland, allowing two runs -- one earned -- on five hits and two walks over seven innings. The righty had a 15 2/3 scoreless-innings streak end in the game and is 4-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 16 games this year, including 12 starts.

The 28-year-old Karstens has struggled in two games versus Boston, going 0-1 while allowing seven runs over 4 1/3 innings. Ortiz is 2-for-3 with a double, homer and four RBI lifetime against Karstens, while Youkilis is 3-for-3 with an RBI.

The Red Sox fell to 4-3 all-time versus the Pirates in the regular season, winning three-game sets at Pittsburgh (2003) and Boston (2005).