He threw them a few curves

Veteran tricks baffled Tigers

His vaunted knuckleball was only one weapon Tim Wakefield employed in his eight shutout innings (two hits, six strikeouts). (duane burleson/Associated Press)

DETROIT - It took Tim Wakefield nine pitches to retire the Tigers' first batter, Curtis Granderson, who grounded to the shortstop. It took just 89 more for Wakefield to get through the next 26 batters.

That got the Red Sox through the eighth, an inning in which Wakefield gave up just his second hit of the game and third base runner. Wakefield did not walk a batter in the Red Sox' 5-0 win last night at Comerica Park - one night after Daisuke Matsuzaka walked eight.

"He threw all strikes," manager Terry Francona said. "Obviously with his knuckleball, but he threw some fastballs, he threw some breaking balls - maybe the best breaking ball we've seen all year. Commanded everything. Wake kept them off-balance all night, never let them get untracked."

Not only was Wakefield throwing strikes, he was using his secondary pitches more in this game than he had in any other this season.

He left after the eighth, ceding to Mike Timlin. Francona certainly thought about leaving his starter in, Wakefield having thrown just 98 pitches (65 for strikes).

"He's trying to protect me for the long haul, the season," Wakefield said. "I didn't have a problem with it. The shutout's not that important to me. Just winning the game's the most important thing.

"He asked me what I felt. I said, 'It's your call. You make the decision.' "

Given the stress fracture in his ribs two years ago, and the shoulder pain last season, Wakefield acknowledged that his age and his health and the length of the season are all factors.

But they didn't look like factors last night. Wakefield especially befuddled Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield, both of whom struck out twice against him. Sheffield's second strikeout came on a curveball in the eighth, the left fielder looking at the chest-high pitch for Wakefield's sixth and final strikeout.

"Especially against a lineup like this, I have to establish that I'm going to throw strikes with my knuckleball," Wakefield said. "It makes my other pitches a lot better."

Even with Kevin Cash trying his best to not be known just as Wakefield's personal catcher - he had three hits to raise his average to .361 - it was something Cash noticed earlier in the season that might have indicated a start like last night's.

"I did a lot of work with John [Farrell] in between starts to kind of correct my mechanics," Wakefield said. "I think I was a little open, so I got more towards the plate. Cashy pointed out something when I was in Tampa, that I was kind of stepping toward the lefthander's batter's box.

"It's something that I've had problems with before. We just corrected that the last side session with John. I felt better doing it that way. I felt more on line."

In that start at Tampa Bay April 25, Wakefield allowed four runs (three earned) over six innings, allowing six hits and five walks. In his previous start, last Thursday against Toronto, he was a bit better, giving up three runs and six hits over seven innings, but with four walks and no strikeouts.

Last night, everything clicked.

"We were talking before the game about getting ahead of hitters and not falling behind," Cash said. "I think he did that. He got ahead with his knuckleball a lot, and the times he went 1-and-0, he was able to get right in with fastball or a curveball.

"He had all three pitches going really well tonight. Usually when you have three pitches going, you're going to be pretty successful. He was."