Red hot Red Sox score 5 in 3rd, tame Tigers

The Boston Red Sox have no idea how long Tim Wakefield will pitch. He might just go on forever.

"As long as Wake wants to keep working the way he does, I don't see any reason for this to stop," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He'll be done when he wants to be done, I guess."

The 44-year-old held the Detroit Tigers to two runs on five hits in seven innings yesterday, as the Red Sox picked up their 12th win in 14 games, winning, 6-3.

"I'm just doing what I've always done - trying to help my team win games," said Wakefield, who picked up his 195th career win.

He's been with the Red Sox since 1995, picking up a pair of World Series rings.

"In a way, you are amazed by him, but in another way, you just expect him to be here forever," Dustin Pedroia said.

Wakefield started his lengthy career in Pittsburgh, playing for current Tigers manager Jim Leyland in 1992 and 1993.

"He's everything that's good about major-league baseball," Leyland said.

The Red Sox, who have scored 34 runs in their last three games, got homers from Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford in a five-run third inning.

"I was fighting my mechanics for the first two innings, but that big third really helped," Wakefield said. "When the guys give you that kind of cushion, it gives you some wiggle room to make those adjustments."

The Red Sox trailed 2-1 until taking the game over in the third. Ellsbury started the inning with a solo homer, his second in as many days. Pedroia walked, Adrian Gonzalez singled and Kevin Youkilis gave the Red Sox a 4-2 lead with a two-run double. One batter later, Crawford hit his fourth homer to put Boston ahead by four runs. Crawford has nine hits in his last 12 at-bats, including two homers and seven RBIs.

The Tigers traded second baseman Scott Sizemore to Oakland before the game for lefthander David Purcey. After the game, they recalled lefthanded starter Andy Oliver from Triple A Toledo. The Tigers optioned reliever Ryan Perry to Toledo. Perry has a 12.19 ERA in 13 appearances this season.

In other games:

* At St. Petersburg, Fla., David Price struck out a career-high 12 over seven innings, Casey Kotchman and Sam Fuld both homered, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-0.

Price (6-4) scattered four hits and walked two. The lefthander had given up 10 runs in 11 innings during his previous two starts.

The Rays went up 4-0 in the second on two-run homers by Kotchman and Fuld off Josh Tomlin (6-2). Relievers Joel Peralta and Adam Russell completed the four-hitter.

The Indians have activated outfielder Grady Sizemore from the 15-day disabled list. and optioned outfielder Ezequiel Carrera to Triple A Columbus after Wednesday's game against Boston to make room on the roster.

* At Toronto, Yunel Escobar doubled home the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning and the Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-2. Righthander Casey Janssen (2-0) pitched one inning of relief for the win as Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak.

Shawn Camp got one out and Jon Rauch finished in the ninth for his sixth save in eight opportunities.

The Blue Jays earned a rare win against White Sox lefthander Mark Buehrle, who came in 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA in his previous eight starts against Toronto.

* At Minneapolis, Maicer Izturis hit a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning for the Angels after scoring five runs in the eighth off three Twins relievers, and Los Angeles beat Minnesota, 6-5.