Sox win in under 2 1/2 hours. Yes, it's true!

Sox 2, Colorado 1
WP: Wakefield (6-7)
LP: Cook (3-4)
SV: Papelbon (15)
HRs: None

SUMMARY
Tim Wakefield had a 1-0 shutout going thru seven innings, but he allowed a run in the eighth to tie the game. Extra innings, right? Wrong. The Sox bucked up and put a run on the board in the bottom of the frame, and Paps came on in the ninth to slam the door on the win-forcefully.

HERO: Wakefield 8IP, 4H, ER, BB, 3K
He had been battered worse than Paris Hilton's ego the past few weeks and saw his ERA balloon from 1.79 to 4.22, but tonight his knuckler was dancing like that cute little blond on Dancing With the Stars, and he set a season high for innings pitched.

GOAT: J. Affeldt 1/3IP, H, W
After his staffmate, starter Aaron Cook, had thrown an absolute gem for 8+ innings, and his teammates tied the game in the top of the inning, Affeldt came in and blew the game for them by giving up a double, a walk and a sac fly that plated the winning run.

RECAP
The Sox may have returned to an American League ballpark and played the game under AL rules, but the opponent and style of play said National League all the way.

A low scoring, one-run pitcher's duel that saw the three runs score on a double, single and sac fly and that clocked in at an astoundingly brisk 2:25 is almost an unknown entity in the free-swinging junior circuit, but over in the "turn the lineup over" NL, 2 1/2 hour games are a common occurrence.

Of course it always help to play the game quickly when both pitchers are tossing zeroes on the board like a couple of seniors throwing shoes at the local retirement center.

Wakefield and Cook engaged in a skill full battle of contrasting styles that made for a miserable night for the hitters but was captivating to watch. While Wake's flutterballs were confounding the Rockies, of whom only Todd Helton had faced him before, Cook's sinker was getting the Sox batters to pound more balls in the dirt than the Brokeback boys. (I know, it's old & stale, but it's all I got)

Boston grabbed an early run for Wakefield, and it was a good thing because he had allowed 26 earned runs in his last 5 starts.

Julio Lugo, batting in his new slot in the 9-hole, doubled with one out in the third. After Dustin Pedroia, who went 1-3 batting leadoff for the first time, grounded out and Lugo swiped third without a throw, Youk ripped a double down the right field line to easily score Lugo with the game's first run.

It would remain that way for four more innings; Boston mounted a couple of scoring chances against Cook but were foiled by a couple of DPs, the sinkerballer's best friend, and Wake was plain masterful, allowing just three base runners through the first seven innings but living on the edge with a mere one-run lead.

In the eighth he would slip off that edge, and the Sox hitters' failure to put another run or two on the board would come back to haunt them big time.

Brad Hawpe (1-3, R) led off the frame with a double to right, and just like that the tying run was in scoring position. After a flyball moved him to third, Wake got the fun-to-say Troy Tulowitzki to fly out to shallow right, and J.D. Drew's throw kept Hawpe nailed to the base. But two pitches late the funner-to-say Yorvit Torrealba (2-3, RBI) blooped a single to center to score Hawpe, and suddenly it seemed as if all of Wake's hard work was for naught.

Ah, naught so fast.

Thankful for what he had done for them and embarrassed by not being able to crack a guy with an ERA near 4 1/2, the Sox hitters staged a rally in the 8th that was, well, very NL-like.

Pedroia, who like Lugo took the news of the lineup switch in stride, laced a 2-2 pitch from Cook to center to lead off the inning, and with that Cook was out of the game. And as usually is the case when a manager removes a hot pitcher after he gets in a smidgen of trouble in favor of a cold reliever just to play the friggin percentages, things did not turnout well from Clint Hurdle.

Because Papi (3-3) patiently waited for his pitch from reliever Jeremy Affeldt and then roped his third offering for a laser to right field that missed clearing the bullpen wall by about six inches according to Rem Dog, setting up runners at second & third with no outs. Gulp.

After the obligatory walk to ManRam, the pressure fell on the fragile shoulder of Drew, who in his first game back home since his 7-RBI outburst in Phoenix had a chance to be the hero earlier in the game but GIDP'd.

But with the sacks packed all Drew needed to do was put the ball in the air deep enough to score pinch runner Alex Cora, and after working the count in his favor at 3-1, he did just that. His solid shot to center was plenty deep enough to score Cora with the go-ahead run, and now all that stood between Wake & the Sox getting the win or another heart wrenching loss was one Mr. Jonathan Papelbon.

It's no secret that Papelbon has been less-than-dominating since he blew his first save and allowed his first runs of the season in a May 1st loss against Oakland at Fenway. Since then he has allowed runs in three of 12 appearances, and he's given up nine hits in that time after allowing just two the whole month of April.

It's obvious that Paps was aware of this annoying minor slippage, and he set out to correct it tonight. He entered the electric atmosphere pumped and wasted no time proving to everyone watching that the real Paps is back.

Kaz Matsui? Sat down on a 96-mph heater.
Matt Holliday? Flied out after tasting 97-mph cheese
Todd Helton? Sit down and thanks for (not) coming, and say hello to John Henry on the way out.

After fanning Helton with 96 octane, the fireballing hurler was so amped he nearly jumped from the mound to the dugout, pumping his fists and screaming up into the cloudy night.

We know how you feel, Paps...

...the Nation loves these early, short games too!


NOTES:

• Papi had three hits (two singles and a double) to raise his average to a season-high .340, and he's hit in 9 of the last 10 games (15-38, .395), lifting his average 25 points
• Francona Magic: Tito's long-overdue lineup switch worked well as Lugo and Pedroia both figured prominently in the win. To his credit, Lugo handled the demotion with class, realizing he's still making $8 million/year no matter where he bats
• Colorado's first four batters-Taveras, Matsui, Holiday & Helton-were a combined 0-16. Yikes!
• Taveras had his 15-game hitting streak snapped
• Mirabelli had a rough game, going 0-3 with a strikeout and rally-killing DP
• Welcome home: Drew also had a lousy night at the plate, grounding out to the right side all three times before finally lofting the ball for the winner (baby steps)

QUOTES:

"On a night like tonight, I don't care how many times you've faced him. He was very good."--Tito on Wakefield, disregarding the Rockies' lack of experience in facing the knuckler

"He was commanding."--Tito on Papelbon

"I was in a situation where I wanted to get a pitch in a good part of the zone to be able to drive. I was fortunate to get in a 3-1 count with a pitch out over the plate. "--Drew with a spine-chilling description of the ever-thrilling game-winning sac fly

RECORD: 41-22
AL EAST: Up 9.5 on NYY
STREAK: W-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Wed vs. COL 7EST