Wakefield’s Watershed Win
Tim Wakefield has already surpassed Roger Clemens in intangible categories such as class and loyalty and continues to make inroads on Clemens’s franchise records. The knuckleballer made his 201st start at Fenway to surpass Clemens. It was his 89th win at his beloved venue, a victory made possible by solid veteran and a sensational newcomer.
Brad Bergesen allowed fewer hits and walks and had more strikeouts than Wakefield but the hits he did relinquish were costly. J.D. Drew launched a pair of homers into the Monster seats: the first one in the second inning may have been fan-aided but his leadoff circuit clout in the fifth was a no-doubter. Bergesen held the rest of the Red Sox lineup scoreless and was pulled in the eighth with two out when Marco Scutaro thudded a double two feet fair off the left field wall.
Interim Orioles manager Juan Samuel swapped out his starter in favor of southpaw Will Ohman with the assumption that left-handed Eric Patterson would bat after Scutaro. When Terry Francona pinch-hit switch-hitter Daniel Nava in place of Patterson, Baltimore’s skipper did not make a corresponding move. Samuel must not be particularly motivated with the scuttlebutt that Buck Showalter is a candidate for his job.
Nava whiffed on the first pitch but let the next two sliders fly past for balls. The fourth pitch came off Nava’s bat and seemed destined for Nick Markakis’s glove or foul territory.
But Nava does not take heed of destiny. His bloop hit found that unprotected patch of fair territory between the infield and outfield to drive in Scutaro.
This team of odds and ends, of has-beens and never-should-have-beens, battled back to put themselves within a half-game of the AL East-leading Yankees. A team that has Dustin Pedroia fielding and taking batting practice from his knees (hard to tell at first, but he was), Jason Varitek leading a reading group, Victor Martinez unable to torment Adrian Beltre’s head, Josh Beckett making rehab starts in Florida, and Jacoby Ellsbury in Arizona avoiding immigration authorities has the second best record in the majors.
| Game 80: July 2, 2010 | ||
| Orioles 24-55 | 2 | L: Brad Bergesen (3-5) |
| HR: Nick Markakis (4) | ||
 Red Sox48-32 | 3 | W: Tim Wakefield (3-6) S: Jonathan Papelbon (19) |
| 2B: Marco Scutaro (21) HR: J.D. Drew – 2 (10) | ||
