A Saturday and Sunday full of doubleheaders would have made for one really taxing weekend. The Red Sox seemed to realize this and faced down a potentially demoralizing rainstorm on Friday night to deliver the only kind of performance that could shut down the red-hot Blue Jays: dominating offense that provided the run support Tim Wakefield has deserved (and often not received) over the course of the last couple of seasons. A 7-0 victory must be helping the team (which should include J.D. Drew today) feel fired up as they arrive at the park this morning for today's two-game battle.

Did anyone out there not feel for Wakefield as we watched the rain come down on and around him? Yet the pitcher limited the Jays to three hits in eight gorgeous shutout innings (the bullpen ought to treat him to a meal), while his teammates pounced on Toronto pitchers David Purcey (6 2/3 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs) and Jason Frason (1.1 innings, 2 hits, 3 runs). Mike Lowell and Jed Lowrie led the offensive effort with two hits apiece. We should also award the Mariano Rivera "Thanks for the Help" Award to Jays third baseman Scott Rolen, who was having a tough time at the corner on Friday night.

Today's breakdown: Paul Byrd faces off against A.J. Burnett at 12:35 p.m., while Bartolo Colon makes his return to start for the Sox against Jesse Litsch at 7:05. Let's assume that the team is maintaining its steely clubhouse atmosphere in order to be mentally prepared for the overtime work.

Proving that it truly was a lucky Friday for the hometown baseball team, Should the battle for a postseason spot come down to a playoff against the Twins or Rays, a coin toss revealed Friday that the team will have that all-important tenth player on the field during that game: the Fenway fans.

Photo of Wally in Wellies by flickr user rooneg and used under terms of a Creative Commons license.