Wakefield Will Pitch Sox into the Playoffs

Josh Beckett will do his part. Jon Lester will keep the Red Sox in the hunt and Buchholz looks like he can pitch well in the bigs. When you add Wakefield back into the rotation the Red Sox will have a staff capable of getting them into the playoffs no matter who the 5th starter is. Tazawa or Penny could be that placeholder until Dice-K comes back and the team will be OK. Wakefield's rehab is done and he should make a start with the team next week. Here is what he told Pawtucket broadcaster Dan Hoard aftert his last night's game:

"I felt great physically," Wakefield told me after the game. "Compared to last week, I think my strength has increased a tremendous amount from last week to tonight. I was able to obviously throw more pitches, I had to cover first base - there's still a little limp there - but nothing's really bothering me to pitch."