If the Red Sox are going to defend their title, they'd do well to respond to more losses like this. A day after flopping to the Orioles, the Sox put a whuppin' on the hapless Birds, combining a Kevin Youkilis RBI derby with a brilliant performance by Tim Wakefield for a soul-satisfying 12-1 clobbering.

Youk's grand slam (first of his career) anchored a seven-run third inning that blew the game out of reach. He added two more RBI, in the fourth and eighth. J.D. Drew and Manny Ramirez also homered, back to back in the first. That would have been enough for Wake, who was brilliant (7 IP, 2 H, 1 run, 6 K's), but why stop when you've got a good thing going. Every Sox starter except Jed Lowrie got a hit. "I just pitched on the right day today," said the ever-modest Wake.

Meanwhile, the streaky Rays continued to lose in Cleveland, so the Sox are only half a game back, and could retake first with one left before the break. All will be right with the world after all.

Julio Lugo is in fact going to be on the shelf for a while, with a torn left quad. You can send your "Get Well Eventually" and "Don't Rush Back Before You're Really Really Ready" cards c/o the team's front offices.

Photo by Winslow Townson/AP.