They're on campaign trail

Wakefield, Byrd are auditioning

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - At some point in the playoffs, the Red Sox must make a tough decision.

Tim Wakefield or Paul Byrd as the No. 4 starter?

It goes back and forth, doesn't it?

Last night you'd swear it would be Byrd after Wakefield's dominance at Tropicana Field (9-2, 2.45 ERA in 22 games) ended with a poor performance. But after he'd pitched perhaps his best game of the season with eight scoreless innings in a 7-0 win over the Blue Jays last Friday, you figured Wakefield had the spot locked up and Byrd, who couldn't get past the fifth inning in his last start, probably would work out of the bullpen.

Now you wonder - will Wakefield get shut out of a start in the playoffs? Is Byrd, who pitched well for Cleveland in the postseason last year (winning starts against the Yankees in the American League Division Series and the Red Sox in the AL Championship Series) and goes tomorrow in Toronto, likely to get the No. 4 job?

It all depends on whom the Sox draw in the first round. If they get the Angels, the current scenario, Los Angeles would have the option of starting the series Wednesday or Thursday. If it's Wednesday, there would be an extra offday and no need for a fourth starter. The Sox went this route last season in the Division Series, beating the Angels three straight, but if a fourth game had been necessary, Game 1 starter Josh Beckett would have come back.

The Angels have a deep rotation and may want to use their top four starters. If that's the case, do the Sox counter with Wakefield or Byrd? If the Sox make it to the ALCS, they will surely have to make that decision.

Despite missing almost three weeks in August, Wakefield has 18 quality starts among 28 outings, second to Jon Lester on the Sox. Does he deserve to be in the playoff rotation? Of course. In fact, nobody deserves it more after his long and meritorious service to the Red Sox since 1995. But let's face it, you've got to go with the four starters who can best do the job.

Beckett, Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka can punch in starts in Games 1, 2, and 3 right now, but if you need a No. 4, you pause, because you're stuck for an answer. It's great to have options, and the Sox have them when it comes to that spot. Last season it belonged to Lester, who wound up winning the clinching Game 4 of the World Series over Colorado. So, it's an important role.

Byrd has had problems with location and tipping pitches, both likely to be rectified. But if he continues to struggle, it becomes a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. The Sox want to deal from strength - a decision between two quality veteran pitchers.

And so, whether or not they feel they're in competition with one another, the fact is they are.

Or it could be that both work out of the bullpen.

Byrd, 37, last pitched out of the bullpen in the 2004 NL Division Series with the Braves against Houston when he appeared in two games for 5 2/3 innings, posting a 6.35 ERA. His last regular-season relief appearances came in 2001 when he made three with the Phillies and Royals. Otherwise, he's been a starter. He's 7-4 with a 4.62 ERA as a reliever.

Wakefield, 42, last pitched in relief in the 2004 playoffs - three games with an 8.59 ERA, allowing seven earned runs and nine hits in 7 1/3 innings. In 17 postseason games, Wakefield has a 5-6 record and a 6.36 ERA, while Byrd is 3-1 with a 4.80 ERA. Wakefield allowed the infamous Aaron Boone walkoff homer in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Yankees.

Using Wakefield in relief could affect the catching situation. Jason Varitek has caught Wakefield in the past, and if Wakefield came into a game in long relief, surely Varitek would have to, and probably would, adjust. Would it be easy? Probably not. With Byrd, no such issue exists. It would appear reasonable that both will make the 25-man postseason roster, though it may depend on how many pitchers the Red Sox go with - 10 or 11 - and whether they include Mike Timlin.

Wakefield just didn't have it last night. The knuckleball, an unpredictable creature, has a mind of its own, and anything he was throwing was over the fat part of the plate, allowing the Rays to drill him for three home runs (Willy Aybar, Gabe Gross, and Fernando Perez), six runs, and six hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Nobody seemed to be as upset about it as Wakefield, who wore an empty expression, helpless to change the outcome.

"It is what it is," said Wakefield. "We scored two in the first and I gave up the lead. I just didn't make the right pitches at the right time."

Catcher Kevin Cash pointed out that it was one of those games in which Wakefield got behind with his knuckleball and had to throw his fastball and curve. Perez hit a fastball out, Aybar a curve. "When he gets strike one consistently," said Cash, "that's when he's going to have a big night." Such wasn't the case last night.

Wakefield had the chance to tie Roger Clemens for the most seasons with double-digit wins (10) in Sox history. More important, he could have made the last 10 days of the season easier on his teammates.

After all these years, Wakefield surely wanted to be the pitcher who could quell the Rays' enthusiasm - which is now off the charts - especially given his history here.

"They're not the team we're used to playing," said Wakefield. "They're very, very good. They're not a team you can take for granted."

That unpredictable knuckleball failed him last night. And now he could be fighting for a start in the playoffs.