Seattle starter Erik Bedard’s negated a masterful job by opposing starter Tim Wakefield, who allowed just five hits en route to his first complete game of the season. One of the five, however, was Yuniesky Betancourt’s solo home run in the third inning, which accounted for all of the game’s offense. Wakefield (3-4) held the Mariners hit-less in four at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Sox were held to only two hits in seven scoreless innings and combined with relievers Brandon Morrow and J.J. Putz on a 1-0 victory. Bedard struck out eight batters and walked three, leading the Mariners past the Sox for the 11th time in the last 14 meetings at Safeco. Bedard allowed only consecutive singles to Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell with one out in the fourth inning before making way for Morrow and Putz (sixth save), neither of whom allowed a hit.
Sox Notes: Daisuke Matsuzaka is expected back in Boston today in order to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging tomorrow that the Red Sox will hope will reveal the cause of the shoulder fatigue that knocked him out of Tuesday night’s game at Safeco Field in the fifth inning. Justin Masterson’s Triple A debut was moved up from Saturday to today in Pawtucket, which would put him in line to start for Boston Tuesday. He could be slotted into the rotation against the Rays.
