``I'm a fly-ball pitcher, I'm pitching in one of the smallest parks in the American League, I can't think about that stuff," Wakefield said of the fact that when the ball leaves his hand, he might be throwing an utterly hittable pitch. ``It's one of those things where if it ain't working, it's going to leave the ballpark quick."
It did, and that one pitch, the 114th and final pitch of Wakefield's evening, all but decided last night's proceedings, sending the Sox to only their second loss in six games this year against the Yankees. Wakefield allowed bookend homers, A-Rod's blast to end his day and Johnny Damon's leadoff blast to begin the day. For Damon, the homer inside Pesky's Pole marked his fifth of the season, his 17th career leadoff homer.
The Sox, down, 1-0 after one inning, 3-0 after three, 4-1 after six, and 7-1 midway through the seventh, could point to their lack of clutch hitting for not putting up a better fight. After going 12 for 22 (.545) with runners in scoring position the previous three nights, they went 3 for 15 (.200), leaving runners on second and/or third in the first, second, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings.
The bottom of the order was particularly ineffective, though. Terry Francona talked before the game about the Sox' improved offense being a result of top-to-bottom production.
``I think the bottom of our order has been getting involved more," Francona said pregame. ``We talk about keeping the line moving. If the middle of your order is hitting and the bottom isn't, you only have certain innings when you can score."
Last night, the bottom didn't muster anything more than Doug Mirabelli's RBI single in the sixth. In the second, with two on and no outs, Mirabelli popped out, Willie Harris fanned, and Kevin Youkilis uncharacteristically chased a 95-mile-per-hour high fastball unleashed by Jaret Wright (5 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs).
