G77: Red Sox 5, Cleveland 2

Curt Schilling threw 78 pitches (57 strikes) over five innings for Pawtucket last night against the Charlotte Knights. He allowed one run on five hits, struck out three and walked one. He retired seven of his final eight batters and, according to the Globe, consistently topped 90 miles per hour on his fastball. Schilling's next start will be on July 4, also against the Knights.

Schilling said when he "was warming up in the bullpen, I felt phenomenal." However, in the first three innings, "I felt like I was forcing the issue, pressing a little bit. But in the fourth and fifth innings, I really started to feel good, started to get in a groove. ... In the last two innings, I tried to relax and pitch."

In Boston, back-to-back home runs by Doug Mirabelli and Mark Bellhorn boosted the Red Sox to victory yesterday afternoon, as did Tim Wakefield's seven innings of pitching (114 pitches). After Keith Foulke threw 47 pitches the night before, giving the bullpen a breather was paramount and Wakefield's quick 10-pitch seventh inning was key.

Wakefield recorded five outs in the top of the third. After Casey Blake walked, Travis Hafner struck out. Then, while Victor Martinez was batting, Wakefield picked Blake off first base twice -- but umpire Fieldin Culbreth blew both obvious calls. Martinez struck out and Jose Hernandez grounded back to the mound.

When Matt Mantei relieved Wakefield to start the eighth, he tried some new mechanics, but after throwing six consecutive balls, Mantei went back to his old style and retired the side on nine additional pitches.

John Olerud got his 1,200th career RBI in the third inning. He's hitting .405 with the Sox (15-for-37), with five doubles, a homer and seven RBI in 22 games. ... Could Bronson Arroyo be the Sox closer, if necessary? (I hope not.)... Q&A with Fenway's PA man Carl Beane.

The Herald's Michael Silverman talks to Pedro Martinez, who has two baseball cards -- a World Series MVP card of Manny Ramirez and an ALCS MVP card of David Ortiz -- displayed on his Shea Stadium locker:

I appreciate so much being a Boston Red Sox for seven years. I established, I think, a small legacy when I was there. ... I miss my [Red Sox] teammates - a whole bunch of crazy dudes, the 'Idiots' that I had behind me. I miss the fans, I miss the atmosphere ... Fenway is different, without a doubt, it is different. Tradition, the history of the team ... I miss a lot of that but I don't miss the media - at all ... Don't miss any of the negativity that was around there. ... Everything else, you can say I miss.

A belated look at the Red Sox 9-0 west coast road trip from 1977:

Date                    WP        LP
0729 At Cal  6- 5 (10)  Campbell  Miller
0730 At Cal  3- 0       Tiant     Ryan
0731 At Cal  1- 0       Aase      LaRoche
0802 At Sea  3- 2 (10)  Campbell  Montague
0803 At Sea 12- 4       Paxton    Wheelock
0804 At Oak  3- 1       Jenkins   Blue
0805 At Oak  1- 0       Tiant     Coleman
0806 At Oak  2- 1       Aase      Torrealba
0807 At Oak  5- 2       Wise      Langford

This streak came a few weeks after Boston had lost nine in a row to New York, Detroit and Baltimore (June 24 to July 3). A combined crowd of 21,080 attended the three games in Oakland.