Sweeping sensation

The jarring image of a brooding David Ortiz angrily snapping his maple bat over his knee?

Forget about it.

Ortiz spoke only for himself in his pique of frustration after he grounded out in the third inning. Otherwise, it all was good last night for the Red Sox as Tim Wakefield emerged from his August doldrums and dizzied the Blue Jays with his revitalized knuckleball, leading the way in a 6-4 victory before an appreciative 34,867 in the finale of a 10-game homestand in the Fens. The win lifted the Sox to 7-3 on the homestand before they flew west on wings of optimism to start a six-game trek through Chicago and Toronto.

"We had a great homestand," Wakefield said. "I think it's going to give us momentum going into this road trip."

Wakefield departed to a joyous chorus of "Sweet Caroline" after he rationed the Jays only two runs on five hits and a walk over eight innings as he improved to 9-7 with a 4.53 ERA. The knuckleballer recovered from a nightmarish three starts in which he allowed 16 runs in 18 1/3 innings at particularly opportune time since the Sox are likely to need Wakefield and his rotation mates at their best down the stretch.

"We really need those guys to get on a roll," catcher Doug Mirabelli said. "That's how you get those five-, six- or seven-game winning streaks."

The victory lifted the Sox a season-high 15 games above .500 and left them just one game off last year's pace (they are 67-52 after going 68-51 last year). They also maintained a share of the wild-card lead with the Rangers while they extended Toronto's month of misery by completing a three-game sweep. The Jays dropped to 4-14 in August as they matched a franchise record with their eighth consecutive loss at Fenway Park (they also lost eight straight games in Boston from June 13, 1985 to July 1, 1986).

Wakefield's comeback unfolded soon after he received a private message of reassurance from manager Terry Francona.

"You forget that even though guys have been doing this forever," Francona said, "sometimes doubt creeps into their minds a little bit."

Wakefield welcomed the support.

"I don't care how many years you play," he said, "it's nice to have a manager come up to you and say, `Hey, keep grinding it out,' because it's easy to lose your confidence sometimes."

The Sox further buoyed Wakefield's spirits by handing him all the runs he needed with a 4-0 cushion in the first inning. Mr. Second Half, Kevin Millar, provided the big hit, a two-run double off Toronto starter Miguel Batista, while Orlando Cabrera and Bill Mueller knocked in the other runs in the decisive inning.

"It was a big tone-setter to put the pressure on [Batista] early," Millar said. "It gave Wakefield a chance to settle down."

Nearly everyone in the Sox lineup contributed as seven different starters either scored a run or knocked one in. Earl Snyder, one of the two starters who were unable to score or drive in a run (Doug Mientkiewicz was the other), lost his chance when he singled to left field with two out in the eighth inning and Mueller was cut down at the plate trying to score from second.

Third base coach Dale Sveum said he never would have sent Mueller if there were fewer than two outs and the Sox were leading by fewer than four runs. But Sveum said he wanted to test the arm of left fielder Gabe Gross before the Sox play the Jays next week in Toronto. And Sveum had another motive.

"I wanted to get the kid an RBI in Boston," he said of Snyder, who was making his Sox debut.

Moments later, the missed opportunity gained some significance as the Jays rallied for two runs on four hits in the ninth against Keith Foulke. The closer worked two innings Monday, an inning Tuesday, and another inning last night under a new plan in which the Sox expect to rely on him more heavily down the stretch.

The Jays had the go-ahead run at the plate, but Frank Catalanotto flied out to the warning track in center field to end the game.

"I was trying to pull that last ball back," Francona said. "Off the bat, I thought it was going farther than that."

The Sox settled for the two-run victory, though general manager Theo Epstein expressed mock frustration in alluding to the team's 9-17 record in one-run games.

"We couldn't quite get it done," Epstein said. "We're trying to improve our record in one-run games."

Foulke said he relishes pitching more regularly.

"I love to pitch a lot," he said, "and the more I pitch the better I am."

As for Wakefield, he made most of the pitches he wanted to throw. The knuckleballer escaped mini-threats in each of the first two innings as the Jays put runners at first and second base with one out in the first and did the same with none out in the second to no avail.

The Jays broke through only twice against Wakefield, when Carlos Delgado knocked in Catalanotto with a sacrifice fly in the third, and when Alex Rios tripled and scored on a ground out by Vernon Wells in the eighth.

"Once we scored those four runs and a couple more later, you kind of relax a little bit," Wakefield said. "You're not putting so much pressure on yourself to do so good."

Nor do the Sox seem to be buckling under the pressure of the playoff race.

"This homestand was very important to us," Wakefield said. "You're getting down to the wire, and you've got one spot open between four or five teams, so it's going to be a grind. I like our chances, and I'm looking forward to the challenge, for myself especially."