Is it the end of the season for Wake?

Tim Wakefield, the longest tenured player on the Red Sox roster, is most likely not going to be on the Sox post season roster with a herniated disk in lower back. his injury is causing weakness and numbness in his left leg and his strength has decreased significantly. His manager Terry Francona and his team mates in interviews with media have stated how appreciative they are for his courageousness of stepping up and pitching through his pain. Wake will need surgery and will likely have it soon to repair his herniated disk.

What sucks for Wakefield and makes it even harder to deal with is the fact that the he was so good in the first half of the season, posting an 11-3 record with a 4.31 ERA to earn his first ever All-Star nod, though he did not pitch in the game.

Even though Wakefield said he first felt the discomfort during the All-Star break and tweaked it during an extended bullpen session in Toronto on July 19, the 43 year old said he actually injured his back at the end of June, during inter-league play.

It’s a normal for pitchers to take batting practice prior to inter-league play because they have to bat when playing in a National League ballpark. At some point during the club’s trip to Atlanta from June 26 to June 28, Wakefield said he was taking some swings when he injured his back.
Wake has started only four games in the second half of the season and is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA. It’s likely he will be told either today or Monday that his season is over.