Longtime team staples Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek may have played their last games for the Red Sox. (AP)

DALLAS — It was not a definitive verdict. Red Sox GM Ben Cherington did not say that a pair of franchise linchpins would not be back.

But he came close. The words did not represent a significant departure from previous statements this winter, but nonetheless, Cherington made it sound like it is increasingly likely that knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (after 17 years with the Sox) and catcher Jason Varitek (15 years into his Sox tenure) may have seen the end of their days in Boston.

“We’re not ready to commit to anything. I have spoken to both and plan to talk to them both again. Certainly we’ll do so before we make any final decision,” said Cherington. “I have a great deal of respect for both and feel like the best thing for the team and the best thing for them is, if there’s not a real role on the team, I’m not sure it’s fair, I’m not sure it’s the right thing for them or the team. We haven’t gotten to that point yet. I’ll talk to them when we get closer to that.”

Varitek, who turns 40 in April, hit .221 with a .300 OBP, .423 slugging mark and 11 homers in 68 games in 2011. Wakefield, 45, went 7-8 with a 5.12 ERA last season, making 23 starts and pitching 154 2/3 innings, his most since 2008. Wakefield remains seven wins short of the Red Sox’ all-time career wins record.

Terry Francona

For those who haven’t read Bob Hohler‘s look at the dysfunction within the Red Sox clubhouse during their collapse, I suggest you take a gander. It paints the picture of multiple causes for the disaster that was the worst September fade in Major League Baseball history. Of the instances touched on were:

• Team sources were concerned that manager Terry Francona was distracted  by a troubled marriage and mounting health problems. Those sources also suggested that the manager’s performance may have also been affected his use of pain medication. (Both notions are vehemently denied by Francona.) The report also stated that Francona was concerned about the safety of his son, Nick, and son-in-law, Michael Rice, who were both serving in Afghanistan.

• Even after principal owner John Henry offered $300 headphones, along with the chance to conduct a team get-together on his yacht, following the scheduling issues due to Hurricane Irene, the Sox failed to respond.

• Starting pitchers Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Clay Buchholz continued a practice that dated back to 2010 in which they would drink beer, eat fried chicken and play video games in the clubhouse during games. The group was also cited by a source as cutting back on their exercise regimens despite the urging of strength and conditioning coach Dave Page.

• Tim Wakefield‘s quest for personal records (200 wins, Red Sox career leader in wins) was perceived as the pitcher’s priority, with the story citing a quote to FoxSports.com (“I think the fans deserve an opportunity to chase that record”) as raising some eyebrows within the organization.

• Sources suggested there was a lack of leadership among the veterans, noting in particular the ineffectiveness of captain Jason Varitek. As was previously reported by WEEI.com, David Ortiz did attempt to rally the clubhouse with a players-only meeting in September, but also, as stated in Hohler’s piece, was singled out more for rants directed toward Francona regarding a scoring decision and the reluctance to use Alfredo Aceves in the starting rotation.

Josh Beckett

• Jacoby Ellsbury‘s relationship with his teammates was “chilled” after the incidents of 2010. (Note: For what it’s worth, this was one example of perceived dysfunction that I wouldn’t necessarily totally agree with. Ellsbury clearly socialized and regularly interacted with more than just one player — Jed Lowrie —  as the report suggested).

• “The gift of leadership also eluded Adrian Gonzalez.”

• The report states that ownership was divided over general manager Theo Epstein‘s push to sign Carl Crawford.

So there you have it. Really good report … and now your thoughts:

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Tim Wakefield

After two days of rest and a redesigned lineup, the Red Sox struggled through Saturday’s series opener against the Yankees in the Bronx. On Sunday, the Red Sox will send out Tim Wakefield for the first game of a doubleheader to attempt to deliver something that staff ace Jon Lester was unable to accomplish Saturday: a quality start.

Wakefield (7-7, 5.08 ERA) has recorded just one win in the last two months. He is 1-0 in one start against the Yankees this season, an 11-6 win on June 8. In Wakefield’s last outing, an 8-5 loss to the Rays, the knuckleballer lasted five innings and allowed six runs (two earned) on six hits.

The Yankees have a plethora of experience against Wakefield. Derek Jeter has 130 career plate appearances and a .279 batting average against the knuckleballer with four doubles, a triple, three home runs and 12 RBIs. Eric Chavez has the most success against Wakefield, batting .314 with six doubles and two RBIs against Wakefield.

The Yankees counter Wakefield with A.J. Burnett, who seems to have recovered from a string of difficult starts in August when he went 1-2 in five games with an 11.91 ERA over 22 2/3 innings of work. Burnett (now 10-11, 5.28 ERA), is 1-0 through four games in September and started the month with a quality outing against the Red Sox, allowing just two earned runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

He did not pitch as well as he had earlier in the month in his last start, a 6-4 Yankees win against Minnesota. Burnett lasted four innings in that game, allowing four runs on nine hits while giving up two home runs.

The Red Sox lineup, which has been occasionally explosive in September but mostly quiet of late, has hit Burnett well in the past. Jacoby Ellsbury has a .344 average against Burnett with two doubles, a home run and two RBIs. Dustin Pedroia bats .333 against Burnett with three home runs and seven RBIs. Pedroia knocked in both runs on a two-run home run against Burnett earlier this month. Read the rest of this entry »

The Red Sox committed a number of blunders on the way to an 8-5 win for Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon in the series finale. With the win, Tampa Bay sits just two games behind Boston in the wild card with 10 games remaining in the regular season for each team. Tim Wakefield was handed the loss, just a start after he picked up win No. 200.

Through Wakefield’s five innings pitched, the knuckleballer was charged with two wild pitches, a walk and a hit batter. Jarrod Saltalamacchia gave up three passed balls, all three of which either scored a run or advanced a runner who would go on to score. Wakefield gave up six runs, four of which were earned.

As the Red Sox entered the bottom of the seventh down 8-2, it appeared the Rays were going to cruise to an easy win. But a Mike Aviles three-run home run put the score at 8-5, making things a bit more interesting. Boston could not muster any more offense, however, as the Rays bullpen shut down the Red Sox in the final two innings.

In a scary moment in the bottom of the third, Rays starter David Price (4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 Ks) was hit in the chest with a line drive off the bat of Aviles. Price would continue to pitch for the rest of the third and the entirety of the fourth, but he was removed after the fourth for precautionary reasons with a bruised right chest.

Here’s what else went wrong (and a few things that went right) for the Red Sox.

What went wrong for the Red Sox

- A series of mistakes by Boston allowed Tampa Bay to get on the board in the second inning. Casey Kotchman struck out to begin the inning, but reached first on a wild pitch on the third strike. Kotchman then advanced to second base on a passed ball on the very next pitch to Johnny Damon. Damon doubled to right-center, allowing Kotchman to score easily and giving Tampa Bay the 1-0 lead. The Rays went on to score two more in the second inning.

- In another ugly sequence, Desmond Jennings singled, then proceeded to steal second base, reach third on a wild pitch and score on a passed ball, all on three consecutive pitches in the fifth inning.

- Later in the fifth inning, Ben Zobrist hit a ground ball to third base with two outs and runners on first and second. It appeared to be a routine play for Aviles, but he threw the ball too far to the left of the sprawling Adrian Gonzalez and the ball bounced into the camera pit, giving Tampa Bay another run. Aviles made another throwing error later in the game.

- Speaking of Gonzalez, the first baseman continues to struggle at the plate lately, going 0-for-4 on Sunday. Gonzalez did not record a single hit in the four-game series against the Rays.

- Andrew Miller struggled in an inning of relief, giving up two runs on one hit, two walks and a passed ball.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tim Wakefield

His quest for 200 wins now complete, Tim Wakefield seeks win number 201 on Sunday afternoon as he takes on the Rays at Fenway Park. The Rays counter Wakefield with young gun David Price, who is searching for his 13th win of the season. The game will be the finale of a four-game series that could prove pivotal in determining the American League wild card winner. With a loss on Saturday, the Red Sox hold a slim three-game wild card lead.

Price enjoyed success against the Red Sox this season, going 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA. Price has pitched well in September, but struggled with run support. In his past three outings, he is 0-1 with two no decisions despite allowing just six earned runs in 19 2/3 innings. In his last outing, a 4-2 loss to Baltimore, Price allowed one earned run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Wakefield struggled in both of his outings against the Rays this season. The knuckleballer is 0-1 against the Rays and has given up seven runs (five earned) in 10 1/3 innings of work.

Rays’ star Evan Longoria has the most success against Wakefield, batting .438 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBIs in his career. Former Red Sox Johnny Damon also found success against Wakefield, batting .309 with four doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs against his former clubhouse mate.

The Red Sox will try to wake up their bats against Price, but it will not be easy, as most of the Boston lineup is hitting .250 or under against the Tampa Bay left-hander. Kevin Youkilis has the most success against Price, hitting .333 with two doubles in 23 plate appearances, but Youkilis has been sidelined since Friday with continuing discomfort from hip bursitis and a sports hernia. Darnell McDonald is the second-most successful batter against Price, racking up a .316 batting average with a triple, two home runs and three RBIs against Price. Read the rest of this entry »

Outspoken Rays manager Joe Maddon was at it again after Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. He said the win on national TV proves his team can bounce back from a frustrating loss on Friday night and shows his team has the character it takes to compete for the American League wild card with the Red Sox and eventually overtake them.

“Absolutely,” Maddon said. “That, I think, validates by what I’ve thought, and that is we have a bunch of tough guys, that we’re not intimidated by the opposition or the venue. And that’s important. When you’re playing at this time of year for all the marbles, you can’t be intimidated by opposition or venue.

“I’ve said it before, I think being in the AL East and playing in Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium and the new Yankee Stadium has helped us overcome the jitters that maybe some other groups may have. So, in a perverse way, this has worked out well for us, playing in this division.

Maddon’s Rays are now again three games out of the wild card, with Sunday’s game on tap at Fenway featuring David Price against Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

“I love it,” Maddon said of his team’s position in the standings. “Of course, a sweep was a great thought and we lost that possibility [Friday] but three-out-of-four ain’t bad, either. I think, originally Meatloaf intended the song to say that but then he went ‘Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad.’ I don’t know why he did that but he did, Mr. Meat. If we go three-out-of-four [Sunday], with a day off in New York, I’ll take it right now.”

Tim Wakefield

Leave it to Dustin Pedroia to overshadow Tim Wakefield on a night when the knuckleballer finally notched his 200th career victory. Mired in a 3-for-34 slump coming into the game, Pedroia opened with a double to the wall, added a line shot sacrifice fly and then crushed his 19th home run well over the Monster. It was his first home run since Sept. 1.

All that was a prelude to his next at-bat in the sixth when he launched another home run off Toronto reliever Luis Perez that gave the Sox some breathing room en route to an 18-6 win over the Blue Jays at Fenway. For good measure, he ripped another double off the wall in the eighth.

Pedroia, who went 4-for-5 with 5 RBI, now has a career-high 20 home runs and joined Jacoby Ellsbury in the 20-20 club in home runs and steals. The Sox have had six players reach that plateau in their history before this season and Pedroia and Ellsbury are the first pair to accomplish the goal in the same year.

Ellsbury also went 4-for-5 as he and Pedroia combined for eight hits, eight RBI, three doubles, three home runs, 21 total bases and eight runs scored. The 18 runs scored by the Sox was a season-high, bettering the previous high of 16, which was also against the Blue Jays.

Wakefield was the beneficiary of all that offense. While it took eight starts — not that anyone was counting — for the veteran to finally notch his 200th career victory, saying it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Sox is like saying the Sahara could use some rain.

It wasn’t always pretty as Wakefield was staked to leads in the first and second innings and promptly gave it right back. Finally, in the fifth came the breakthrough when he pitched around a pair of hits and held the Jays scoreless.

He returned for the sixth despite his well-documented issues owith high pitch counts, but Wakefield flipped the script and worked a perfect inning. It was the first time in the last six games that a Sox starting pitcher has worked more than five innings.

There was more good news for the Sox who had lost five in a row and seven of their last eight, as Baltimore rallied to beat Tampa, pushing Boston’s lead in the wild card race to four games. Here’s what else went right for the Red Sox:

WHAT WENT RIGHT

- Speaking of finding his swing, Carl Crawford extended his hitting streak to a modest six games with a Wall-ball double in the sixth. It was his fourth double during that stretch and his night could have been even better if not a spectacular catch by converted pitcher Adam Loewen who extended his glove over the bullpen to make the grab. Still, Crawford’s 10-pitch at-bat was a sign that the left fielder is locked in. He later punched a single to left to finish 2-for-4, his first two hits game since Sept. 3.

- Ho-hum, just another big game from Ellsbury who went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. Ellsbury is working on a 17-game hitting streak and has hits in 24 of his last 25 games.

- The Red Sox’ offense finally kicked into high gear. Jarrod Salatalamacchia had two hits, including a bases-clearing three-run double, Adrian Gonzalez also had two hits and Marco Scutaro continued to own Blue Jays’ pitching as he went 2-for-3 with another RBI double. Scutaro is 22-for-42 against his former team this season.

- Alfredo Aceves worked two innings of scoreless relief and while Junichi Tazawa wasn’t as successful, allowing a run on two hits and a walk, his 2011 debut with a featured a strikeout of the dangerous Jose Bautista. (Here’s more on Tazawa’s long road back to the big leagues).

- There was some good news on the health front as Josh Beckett looks ready to make his return to the rotation on either Thursday or Friday. Beckett had a bullpen session on Monday and followed that with more throws off a flat surface prior to Tuesday’s game. “Basically, he knows he’s going to pitch,” Terry Francona said before the game. “[The day will be] determined by, if he thinks that one more day really helps, we can do it.”

WHAT WENT WRONG

- The limp to the finish line continues for the Sox as David Ortiz was pulled from the lineup prior to the game with back spasms. Jed Lowrie was the last-minute replacement in the DH spot, despite his season-long struggles against right-handed pitching. Lowrie went 0-for-4 and now 1-for-22 in Sept hitting left-handed.

- If that wasn’t enough, Kevin Youkilis, who did make his return after missing three games, said before the game that he would need offseason surgery for a sports hernia, which is in addition to bursitis in his hip that contributed to his placement on the disabled list. Youkilis is 5-for-30 since returning from the DL and appeared to be laboring at times.