Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield surrendered only four hits in a seven-inning outing last night, leading Boston past the Devil Rays 6-0. Wakefield, whose 15 wins tie him for the most in Major League Baseball this year, got some big offense from his teammates. Though slugger David Ortiz sat out, Mike Lowell smashed a 3-run homer and Manny Ramirez posted 2 RBIs.
Boston's rout surely shocked Tampa Bay hurler Scott Kazmir. After recording 13 scoreless innings and only one earned run in his four previous starts, the lefty gave up seven hits in 5 " innings, losing hitting match-ups he'd previously dominated. At 11-8 this month, the Sox are now 4½ games ahead of the Yankees in the American League East. (More Tim Wakefield stories.)