Tim Wakefield

BOSTON - Kevin Millar offers simple advice for anyone trying to hit a knuckleball: Don't take it too seriously. Millar has the numbers to back himself up. After last night's game, Millar led all Orioles hitters with a .444 career average against Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield, collecting 12 hits in 27 at-bats. He had three doubles, three homers and eight RBIs. Meanwhile, Aubrey Huff was hitting .173 (9-for-52), Brian Roberts .182 (8-for-44), Nick Markakis .188 (3-for-16) and Jay Payton .083 (1-for-12)

He didn't get job done Juan C. Rodriguez Sun Sentinel Somebody has to wear it, and for lack of a better alternative, it should have been Terry Francona. General manager Theo Epstein said Francona would not be branded the scapegoat. Teams don't lose nine-game September leads and not have a scapegoat. Are others more deserving? Probably, but what are the Red Sox to do? Release John Lackey and eat the remaining $45.75 million on his deal? Admit Carl Crawford was a bust and make a request that he proves worthy of the $122 million owed him?

Padres: IF Luis Lopez was activated and OF Chris Gwynn placed on the 15-day DL with a muscle sprain in his back.Pirates: Paul Wagner's scoreless-inning streak (17 1/3 ) was the Pirates' best since Tim Wakefield went 18 innings in 1993.Pub Date: 4/19/96

Wakefield gives, gives Keith Groller Morning Call A cynic might suggest that the ultimate sports Santa would be the owners of the Clippers, Pirates and Lions, who have been giving to fans in other cities for years by putting out inferior teams. But a true sports Santa is one who gives the gift of himself as well as his possessions. That's why I suggest Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield. Wakefield won MLB's Roberto Clemente Award this year after being nominated seven previous times.

HittingRuss Davis, Mariners: 2 HRs, 4 RBIs.Jorge Posada, Yankees: 6 RBIs, 2 doubles.Darren Bragg, Red Sox: 4-for-6, 2 HRs.Paul Molitor, Twins: 5-for-5.David Bell, Indians: 4-for-4.PitchingOrlando Hernandez, Yankees: 8 innings, 1 run, 4 hits.Tim Worrell, Athletics: 3 shutout innings in relief.Tim Wakefield, Red Sox: 8 innings, 1 run, 7 hits.Pub Date: 8/09/98

It's a fact: The Red Sox have three pitchers with 10 or more saves -- Derek Lowe (10), Tom Gordon (11) and Tim Wakefield (14) -- for the first time in franchise history.Who's hot: The Tigers' Damion Easley has homered in four of his past six games.Who's not: White Sox starter Mike Sirotka is 1-4 since the All-Star break.On deck: Cleveland's Charles Nagy tries to become a 15-game winner for the fifth straight season as the Indians face the Angels.Pub Date: 9/02/99

As soon as he watched his last pitch blaze by the bat of Jeff Conine, Boston Red Sox starter Curt Schilling emphatically pumped his fist, smacked his glove and walked briskly to the dugout, a good day's work preserved. In a game in which the Orioles got precious few scoring chances, their final one was thwarted when Schilling reached back and threw his hardest pitch of the day, a 96-mph fastball that Conine couldn't catch up to. Red Sox@Orioles Today, 1:35 p.m., Comcast SportsNet, 1090 AM Starters: Red Sox's Tim Wakefield (0-1, 17.18)

BOSTON -- The Orioles, and Rodrigo Lopez and Todd Williams specifically, knew it shouldn't have gotten to that point. Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz should have never gotten to the plate last night with the bases loaded in a tie game in the sixth inning. If Lopez could have gotten out Alex Gonzalez, Boston's weakest hitter, the inning would have been over with the Orioles still in the lead. If he could have finished off Kevin Youkilis, whom he had down 0-2, the later sequence would have never happed.

When the Orioles' four-run fifth inning off Boston starter Curt Schilling was finally over last night, the home team's fans, seemingly silenced in their ballpark by the Red Sox for so long, stood and cheered. A lead against Boston here was reason enough to celebrate. However, the good sentiment, like the Orioles' one-run advantage, didn't last long. The Red Sox answered with two runs in the sixth on consecutive hits off Todd Williams and got near perfect relief work the rest of the way to beat the Orioles, 6-5, in front of 27,565 at Camden Yards.

When it's not even mid-September and you're closer to the bottom than the top, every step and every move is geared toward the future. It's a time of evaluation, and for a struggling team like the Orioles, not a single person on the payroll should escape some shrewd appraisal. Sam Perlozzo sat in the dugout and confronted microphones yesterday, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his merits as a manager had been a hot Internet topic all month. Anyone with a mouse and a screen name seems to have an opinion about Perlozzo's future as Orioles manager.

The ball deflected softly off Daniel Nava's bat and hung in the air seemingly forever as three Orioles frantically gave chase, trying to preserve a tie game into the ninth inning and salvage one of Brad Bergesen's best outings of the season. Right fielder Nick Markakis sprinted forward, first baseman Ty Wigginton hustled back and second baseman Julio Lugo angled his way into shallow right field. A couple of steps before all three Orioles converged, Nava's cue shot landed, and just like that, the positives of the evening -- a strong outing by Bergesen, a rare solid team defensive performance and an even rarer homer by Markakis -- were forgotten.

The World Series champion Boston Red Sox are back in the playoffs, thanks to a victory over the visiting Cleveland Indians last night that clinched at least a wild-card berth. Tim Wakefield (10-11) outpitched Cliff Lee (22-3) and midseason acquisition Jason Bay hit the go-ahead single as the Red Sox scored three times in the fifth inning to rally from a two-run deficit. With the win, the Red Sox stayed six games ahead of the Yankees in the wild-card race with five games left, ending New York's postseason hopes.

BOSTON - Kevin Millar offers simple advice for anyone trying to hit a knuckleball: Don't take it too seriously. Millar has the numbers to back himself up. After last night's game, Millar led all Orioles hitters with a .444 career average against Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield, collecting 12 hits in 27 at-bats. He had three doubles, three homers and eight RBIs. Meanwhile, Aubrey Huff was hitting .173 (9-for-52), Brian Roberts .182 (8-for-44), Nick Markakis .188 (3-for-16) and Jay Payton .083 (1-for-12)

TODAY Red Sox, 7:05 p.m., MASN Starters: Red Sox's Tim Wakefield (3-4, 4.70) vs. Orioles' Jeremy Guthrie (2-6, 3.64) TOMORROW @Twins, 8:10 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Orioles' TBA vs. Twins' Kevin Slowey (2-4, 3.38) WEDNESDAY @Twins, 8:10 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Orioles' Daniel Cabrera (5-1, 3.60) vs. Twins' Glen Perkins (2-2, 3.90) THURSDAY @Twins, 1:10 p.m., MASN Starters: Orioles' Garrett Olson (4-1, 4.03) vs. Twins' Boof Bonser (2-6, 5.97) FRIDAY @Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Orioles' Brian Burres (4-5, 4.87)

A recap of the Orioles' 9-4 loss to the Red Sox yesterday: Beaten and bruised The training staff needs to apply an ice pack to Brian Burres' ERA. It definitely swelled a little after yesterday's start. The Orioles' left-hander allowed seven runs in four innings, raising his ERA from 4.15 to 4.87. It was 3.16 before he surrendered 15 runs over his past two starts. Burres gave up 12 hits yesterday, and they weren't scattered. He faced 24 batters in four innings, and 13 of them reached. Aiming for the seats After going through a substantial home run drought, Luke Scott can't seem to stop hitting them.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Radhames Liz should have seen it coming. Not the ball that slammed into his left leg in the first inning, but the likelihood that his third major league start would turn gruesome. It's not easy being an Oriole these days, even when you've barely had time to learn everyone's name. Misfortune finds the rookies as easily as line drives. Red Sox@Orioles Tonight, 7:05, MASN, 105.7 FM Starters: Tim Wakefield (16-10, 4.16 ERA) vs. Garrett Olson (1-3, 7.22 ERA)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Radhames Liz should have seen it coming. Not the ball that slammed into his left leg in the first inning, but the likelihood that his third major league start would turn gruesome. It's not easy being an Oriole these days, even when you've barely had time to learn everyone's name. Misfortune finds the rookies as easily as line drives. Red Sox@Orioles Tonight, 7:05, MASN, 105.7 FM Starters: Tim Wakefield (16-10, 4.16 ERA) vs. Garrett Olson (1-3, 7.22 ERA)

BULLPEN IMPLODES With his team leading the Boston Red Sox by two runs heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, Dave Trembley handed the ball to Paul Shuey, who faced two batters and couldn't get an out. John Parrish relieved him, and he also faced two batters without getting an out as David Ortiz hit an RBI double off the Green Monster and Parrish issued an intentional walk. Chad Bradford came in, but he allowed a two-run double to Kevin Youkilis that gave the Red Sox the lead. GETTING JOB DONE With Garrett Olson dominating at Triple-A and making it harder and harder for the front office to not find a spot for him in the major league rotation, Steve Trachsel authored his best performance since late May. It wasn't pretty, and it rarely is for Trachsel.

Orioles (49-55) @ Red Sox (64-41) Day .................. Time .................. TV ................... Starters Tonight ........... 7:05 ................ MASN ............ Erik Bedard (10-4, 3.05) ........................................ ............................................ vs. Josh Beckett (13-4, 3.27) Tomorrow ...... 7:05 .............. MASN ............ Steve Trachsel (5-7, 5.26) ........................................ .......................................... vs. Kason Gabbard (4-0, 3.73)