Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
It has become the Red Sox' version of Groundhog Day.
Minus all the levity, of course.
Tim Wakefield is 0-for-5 in his nearly month-long quest to reach 200 career victories and his latest failed attempt was the toughest to watch. Through five innings last night, he flummoxed the aggressive Royals with his fluttering knuckleball and was staked to a three-run lead.
And it took only eight pitches for everything to unravel.
“It is what it is,” Wakefield said. “We’re trying to win the game, not trying to do a favor for me. We’re trying to win the game as a team.”
And Wakefield is beginning to sound like a broken record.
No, the odyssey for No. 200 isn’t weighing on his mind. Yes, he’s pleased with the way he has been pitching. No, he isn’t putting added pressure on himself to achieve a milestone that only 107 other pitchers (88 since 1900) have reached.
Herald - Groundhog daze
In last night's recap we detailed that awful, brutal, terrible, etc. etc. etc. 6th inning for the Sox. If there was ever a time to use "the wheels came off" to describe an inning, last night was it.
But eventually Wakefield will get that next win. He's simply been pitching too good, the bullpen too solid and the Sox offense is simply too potent to keep this Wake-winless streak alive.
Let's look at the flip side of that. Let's say Wakefield once kicked a little kitten and this winless streak is Karma's payback. Let's say that Karma won't let him get another win all season long. Do the Sox bring him back in 2012? If you remember, he was a candidate to get cut prior to this year. That was a real option on the table for the front office. Thankfully they didn't, as we not only dealt with several injuries but Wake has been much better this season than last.
But has he been good enough to lock up a spot next season? Of course, there is much to play out between now and next Spring, but I say yes. Tim is someone that's always been there when the Sox needed him. And it would be an utter shame for him to leave this Sox without ever getting that win. Especially with the ways in which he's come up short.
On Page 2, Albers speaks