Phillies fooled by fill-in

“Very satisfying,’’ said Wakefield, who was pitching in place of the injured Josh Beckett.

“He was great,’’ said catcher Victor Martinez. “Obviously he got pretty good movement on his ball today, and he was able to keep them off-balance. That thing was moving.

“When the ball is moving like it was today, it’s not fun to hit it. You just don’t know. When you’re going to swing the bat, you’re just hoping one mistake is floating. But all of them, they were moving pretty good.’’

The win was crucial for the Sox as they attempt to distance themselves from a rough start. Not only did they beat the Phillies twice in three games, they also moved three games over .500 for the first time this season, just before they got on a plane to Florida where the best-in-baseball Rays await for a three-game series starting tonight.

“Momentum is a huge deal for us going into Tampa, playing the first-place team in our division right now,’’ Wakefield said. “Hopefully we can continue this run that we’re on.’’

That run has been made possible by increased offensive production and stellar starting pitching. Wakefield is the fourth Sox starter in the last five games to throw at least eight innings, following Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester (nine), and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Sox starters posted a 1.66 ERA in the last turn through the rotation, allowing seven earned runs over 38 innings.

“Somebody asked me the other day if I think it’s contagious,’’ Francona said. “If it is, I hope we get an epidemic.

“It’s a good way to play the game. I think it relaxes everybody. You don’t have to score a bunch of runs early. You’re not playing catch-up. It allows your offense to kind of take a deep breath, and then again if you work the pitcher, you get rewarded for it.’’

And to add to Wakefield’s impressive performance, not only did he beat an excellent lineup, he also outpitched former AL East foe Roy Halladay.