• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Wakefield dominates as Red Sox top Tigers

May 7, 2008 - 3:45 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Everyone knows about Tim Wakefield's devastating knuckleball, but on Tuesday, he introduced the Detroit Tigers to a fastball and a curveball.

Wakefield tossed eight scoreless innings and David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez hit back-to-back home runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-0 victory over the Tigers.

Kevin Cash had three hits and drove in a run and Kevin Youkilis added a pair of hits and scored once for the Red Sox, who have won five in a row while outscoring their opponents, 37-13.

"He had all three pitches going tonight," said Cash, who acts as Wakefield's personal catcher. "Sometimes he can be erratic, but tonight, he was putting his knuckleballs in the zone."

Wakefield (3-1) allowed just two hits and did not issue a walk while striking out six. The veteran knuckleballer retired 17 batters in a row at one point before Carlos Guillen reached on an error with one out in the eighth.

"He pitched good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He threw the knuckleball and he also threw some curveballs and fastballs and mixed his pitches."

Leyland is very familiar with Wakefield, having managed him in the early 1990s with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he does not recall Wakefield being so selective with his pitches in the past.

"I don't remember him mixing curveballs and fastballs so much," Leyland said.

Wakefield lowered his ERA from 4.03 to 3.33 with his first scoreless outing of at least eight innings since August 13 against Tampa Bay.

"I felt really good tonight," Wakefield said. "It felt really good throwing strikes with all three pitches. When I establish I can throw strikes with my knuckleball, it helps make my other pitches better."

"He threw all strikes," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "That's the best breaking ball we've seen from him all year. He commanded everything."

Ortiz's seventh blast of the season in the seventh inning gave the Red Sox a 4-0 advantage and knocked Detroit starter Nate Robertson (1-4) out of the game. The veteran slugger drove a 3-2 offering from the lefthander deep into the seats in right-center field.

Ramirez then welcomed righthander Freddy Dolsi, who was making his major league debut, by depositing a shot over the wall in center for his seventh homer of the and 497th career.

Boston took an early lead in the second inning. Robertson walked Mike Lowell to begin the frame and surrendered a double to Youkilis that put runners on second and third.

J.D. Drew followed with an RBI single to center, and Cash's double to left plated Youkilis for a 2-0 advantage. After Julio Lugo flied out, Drew scored on a groundout by Coco Crisp to cap the spurt.

The Tigers have dropped four games in a row.

"We're not doing well right now, but it's very important that we remember what we have and how good they are," Leyland said. "I'll tolerate anything as long as we hustle."