Projo Sox Blog

As the midsummer burns have started to fade over the past few seasons, and the calendar turns towards September, it has become glaringly obvious that Tim Wakefield is no longer a young man.

Wakefield was once considered a marvel for his durability. He could come into any situation, and pitch say, five innings in an extra-inning playoff game. But all those years of rubber-armed notoriety have taken their toll: 42-year-old pitcher has worn down towards the end of the last several years, and that is a history that the pitcher and his team have been loath to repeat in 2009.

In Wakefield's last three outings, the knuckleballer has been pulled when his pitch count was 83, 88, and 93, respectively. He could have gone longer each time, but the team erred on the side of caution. That, coupled with some new training methods and theories on how to best care for his shoulder, give Wakefield hope that he will stay strong through all of this season.

"I've been hurt the last two years late in the season, and I know we discussed about taking some time off during the year. I did a lot of work during the offseason and I'm doing a lot of work during the season with our training staff to try to stay healthy. I feel unbelievable at this point in the season," Wakefield said.

Wakefield has a SLAP tear in the labrum of his throwing shoulder, that flares up with overuse. So the less train on the shoulder, the better.

"We're trying to learn from, I don't know if you can say mistakes, but trying to learn from history to keep him going longer, like he can pitch," Francona said. "The last couple years we've gotten towards the end and he's worn down, and the shoulder's bothered him. And I don't see that happening right now. And if we can be cognizant of that, maybe we don't get to that point."
Wakefield spent much of the winter working out, particularly on his legs, in order to give himself a strong base. Now, he is trying to stay on the cutting edge of baseball science to stay ahead of his aches and pains.

Rather than simply ice his shoulder as most pitchers do after a start, Wakefield has committed to a significant stretching regimen after he comes out of the game. Then, on the days in between starts, he stays away from the kind of protracted throwing sessions he used to perform, in order to minimize the strain on the shoulder.

"We're taking a more proactive approach to keeping me stretched out. Changing my workload in between starts, not really doing a whole lot to stress the shoulder, or to do anything that would hinder me being able to throw the baseball," he said.

Clearly, it's working. Wakefield said he hasn't felt this good in years at this point in the season. And at 9-3, with a reasonable 4.39 ERA, Wakefield is getting some All-Star talk.

As a strong starter who has tapered off in the past, he is used to the rumblings, but hopes this can be the year he makes the squad.

"I've been there a couple times in my career, and hopefully I make one," he said. "Hopefully, I'm at least considered for a spot, and if I make it, great, if not, I'll finish up the second half."

 Tags  Boston Red Sox Dan Barbarisi Terry Francona Tim Wakefield

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