Red Sox 4 - 5 Rays
Final
  for this game

Wakefield goes for 20th career win against Devil Rays

Sep 23, 2007 - 2:07 PM Boston (92-63) at Tampa Bay (63-92) 1:40 pm EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) - With their dreams of a division title hanging in the balance, there is no one the Boston Red Sox would rather send to the mound against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays than Tim Wakefield.

The veteran knuckleballer will go for his 20th career win against the division rivals when the Red Sox visit the Devil Rays in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday.

Boston rallied for an 8-6 victory Saturday, clubbing a pair of ninth-inning homers to beat Tampa Bay closer Al Reyes. The win, coupled with the Detroit Tigers (84-71) loss to the Kansas City Royals, clinched the Red Sox at least a wild card berth, making them the first team this season to lock up a postseason spot.

Wakefield (16-11, 4.73 ERA) owns a 19-2 career mark against Tampa Bay, including a 9-0 record with a 2.16 ERA in 19 games - 13 starts - at Tropicana Field. The climate-controlled dome tends to allow Wakefield's signature knuckleball to dance just a little bit more than usual, regularly confounding the Devil Rays' hitters.

He has struggled recently, however, going 0-1 with a 12.08 ERA over his last three starts.

Tampa Bay will send Edwin Jackson (4-15, 5.99) to the mound. The 24-year-old righthander nearly earned a win against Boston on September 12, leaving after six innings with a lead only to watch slugger David Ortiz club a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to wrestle the win away.

Boston could use a strong outing on Sunday, with their lead in the American League East Division at 2 1/2 games over the New York Yankees (89-65) with seven games remaining.








  • AL
    FINAL
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
    - - - - - - - - - - - -
    BOSTON 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 4 6 0
    TAMPA BAY 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 x 5 10 0 (FINAL)

    BATTERIES: BOS - TIM WAKEFIELD, JULIAN TAVAREZ (6TH), BRYAN COREY (6TH), MIKE
    TIMLIN (8TH) AND DOUG MIRABELLI
    TAM - EDWIN JACKSON, JON SWITZER (6TH), GARY GLOVER
    (7TH), DAN W

    Sep 23 4:26 PM
  • 35
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 35 roots (Close Finish)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 4:20 PM


  • AL
    AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
    SOLO HOME RUN BY ALEX CORA (3) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN THE
    8TH OFF DAN WHEELER.
    CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 4, TAMPA BAY 5
    DUE UP FOR BOSTON: D ORTIZ (.322, 1-FOR-2, BB, RBI)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 4:02 PM


  • AL
    AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
    SACRIFICE BY JOSH WILSON SCORED JONNY GOMES.
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J WILSON ON FIRST, J GUZMAN ON SECOND, 1 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 3
    TAMPA BAY 5 BOTTOM, 6TH
    DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: A IWAMURA (.283, 1-FOR-2, BB)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 3:38 PM


  • AL
    AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY COCO CRISP SCORED ALEX CORA.
    SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, C CRISP ON FIRST, J DREW ON SECOND, D ORTIZ
    ON THIRD, 1 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 3
    TAMPA BAY 4 TOP, 6TH
    DUE UP FOR BOSTON: E HINSKE (.209, 0-FOR-2)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 3:21 PM


  • AL
    AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
    BASES LOADED WALK TO J.D. DREW SCORED JACOBY ELLSBURY.
    SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J DREW ON FIRST, D ORTIZ ON SECOND, A CORA
    ON THIRD, 1 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 2
    TAMPA BAY 4 TOP, 6TH
    DUE UP FOR BOSTON: C CRISP (.267, 0-FOR-2)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 3:18 PM


  • AL
    AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY DAVID ORTIZ SCORED JULIO LUGO.
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, D ORTIZ ON FIRST, A CORA ON SECOND, J
    ELLSBURY ON THIRD, 0 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 1
    TAMPA BAY 4 TOP, 6TH
    DUE UP FOR BOSTON: M LOWELL (.326, 0-FOR-2)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 3:13 PM


  • AL
    AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY JORGE VELANDIA SCORED AKINORI IWAMURA.
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J VELANDIA ON FIRST, 2 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 0
    TAMPA BAY 4 BOTTOM, 5TH
    DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: C PENA (.276, 0-FOR-2)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 2:56 PM


  • AL
    AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY JONNY GOMES SCORED DELMON YOUNG.
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J GOMES ON FIRST, 2 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 0
    TAMPA BAY 3 BOTTOM, 4TH
    DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: J GUZMAN (.278, 0-FOR-1)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 2:40 PM


  • AL
    AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE
    TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY DELMON YOUNG (13) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 0
    OUT IN THE 2ND OFF TIM WAKEFIELD SCORED B.J. UPTON.
    CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 0, TAMPA BAY 2
    DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: R CASANOVA (.231, 6 HR, 10 RBI)

    Red Sox vs. RaysSep 23 2:03 PM

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