Whether it's the power of Theo or simply coincidence, Sox starters have a 1.64 ERA in those three games. In 22 innings, they've allowed only 11 hits, 4 earned runs, and 3 walks, with 17 strikeouts. That includes starts by Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement, and Wells, who last night extended his scoreless-innings streak to 17, allowing one hit, two walks, a hit batter, and not much of anything else over the seven he worked.
He carried a no-hitter into the sixth, but that was broken up by Ryan Freel's two-out line single to right-center on an 0-and-2 pitch.
''I knew it was going on," Wells said. ''In the dugout, Clement wouldn't move. Bronson [Arroyo] wouldn't move. Skid [trainer Jim Rowe] wouldn't move.
''You just try and stay within the same routine when you've got a no-hitter going. I just try to make a pitch. I just overthrew that one pitch. I got it up and the ball is going to get hit."
Freel said he was simply protecting the outside part of the plate on 0-and-2. After all, plate umpire Terry Craft had a generous strike zone.
''I just dove in," Freel said. ''I actually kind of cheated on that pitch. I was able to get good wood on it and get a knock. I wasn't thinking I was breaking up a no-hitter. It's hard enough to hit as it is."
Wells, who is now 15-6 with a 2.58 ERA in interleague play, was coming off eight innings of four-hit ball against St. Louis last Wednesday, when a remarkable 74 of his 94 pitches went for strikes. And last night was a money game in more ways than one; it earned Wells the first $200,000 bonus he gets for starts 11-20. He gets $300,000 for starts 21-30.
Not bad for a guy who sprained his right foot April 25, went on the disabled list, and came back May 18 to get shellacked by the A's in a 13-6 loss in which he couldn't get out of the second inning.
How about this number? Since changing his uniform from 3 to 16 just before his May 29 start against the Yankees, he's won three of four starts.
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