Red Sox exercise some clout

"It wasn't pretty," said center fielder Johnny Damon, after the bullpen (victor Mike Myers, Ramiro Mendoza, Mike Timlin, Keith Foulke) had held the Devil Rays hitless for the final 3 2/3 innings. "But the final outcome definitely was. We played just good enough to win."

Though the idea of a "must" game against Tampa Bay seemed silly, the Red Sox couldn't afford to lose a third straight after the Yankees blanked Kansas City yesterday. Yet after Pedro Martinez took a loss on Tuesday when his mates were baffled by a rookie southpaw, anything seemed possible.

Still, the pitching matchup shaped up as ideal. Tim Wakefield, who was 10-1 lifetime against the Devil Rays, against Dewon Brazelton, who'd never won a road game (0-11) in his career, the only active major league pitcher with at least 12 starts who hadn't. "Coming out of the bullpen [catcher Doug] Mirabelli said [Wakefield's] ball was all over the place, which is good," said Francona.

But Wakefield, who now has two losses and a no-decision after winning six of seven, was gone after five innings after giving up four runs and six hits. "Little things happen," shrugged Wakefield, who faced eight batters in the fifth after setting down seven straight, six on grounders. "I just need a little bit of luck to fall my way once in a while."

Even though the Sox knocked around Brazelton for six runs and nine hits in his four-plus innings, they found themselves dead even in the sixth after Curtis "The Mechanic" Leskanic took a sledgehammer to the game. Leskanic gave up a Wall double to Toby Hall (who smacked two) and a crushed first-pitch homer to Jorge Cantu that thumped off the Sports Authority sign in left that made it 6-6.

In came Myers, who hadn't had a win since he beat the Red Sox for the Mariners in Seattle July 19. He struck out Carl Crawford looking and Julio Lugo swinging and the evening began to turn.