ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tim Wakefield threw to 120 feet and on flat ground yesterday, two days after he received a cortisone shot for the back and leg trouble that returned after his last start. If he continues to progress, there's a chance that Wakefield could throw a side session today. That would, as Francona said, be the best case scenario.

When asked when he might be ready to pitch, Wakefield said, "Tomorrow." He added, "It's a matter of testing it out. Gotta push the envelope now. We're running out of time. So push it as hard as I can go, see what happens. Maybe this weekend in Chicago."

As of right now, Paul Byrd is scheduled to pitch Friday with Junichi Tazawa on for Saturday.

"The pain in my back is gone from the injection," Wakefield said. "My weakness has come back. I think it's more, medically speaking, there's more fluid in there now. It's pressing up against the nerve, which causes weakness, numbness and all that stuff."

Francona said, "This is a hard one for us. He could potentially probably be pitching pretty soon and he could potentially probably not. ... We're trying to make the right decision. It's hard because we know he can go out and get outs. So we'll just continue to keep an eye on him."