Prior to Sunday’s game, Tim Wakefield said that he threw 25 times from 75 feet “without any pain.” The development stood in marked contract to the lingering effects of a similar injury last year. From the time he missed a start at the beginning of September through the end of the season, Wakefield said, “it killed me to play catch.”

Not so this year. The Sox seem to have caught the injury at an earlier stage. A cortisone shot and rest has Wakefield feeling better than at any point last September and October. Though no timetable for his return has been established, the 42-year-old is confident about his chances of staying healthy over the duration of the season.