The key words that have described Tim Wakefield this season are "quality start" (i.e. three runs or fewer in six innings). For the Red Sox starter, such efforts are becoming standard procedure in a season that has hit very few potholes thus far.

Last night was a case in point, as Wakefield threw six innings and 102 pitches against the Oakland A's, allowing 7 hits and 3 runs in what turned into a 13-5 Red Sox rout, much to the delight of the sellout Fenway Park crowd of 35,000.

Wakefield is now 4-1 with an earned run average of 3.18 and has turned in six "quality" efforts in his seven starts. At Fenway, Wakefield is even more impressive, with a 3-0 record and a total of 5 earned runs in 20 innings for an ERA of 1.89.

Last night, the sagging A's took a 2-1 lead in the third before the Red Sox responded with a five-run fourth to regain the lead for good. A seven-run outburst in the seventh was mere padding for Wakefield, who had a two-start "slump" against Tampa Bay and Texas the last week in April before returning to form against the Tigers last week.

Wakefield has been in Boston for a decade now and is starting to pile up all sorts of numbers. He now has 118 wins for the Red Sox, which vaults him past Smoky Joe Wood and Pedro Martinez into fifth place in team annals.

Though last night was a quality start by definition, it was more of a grind than a gem, with five walks dotting his six innings.

"I thought Wake did a great job with damage control," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. ''With five walks, those are the things that, last year, someone with one swing would have tied it up or scored some runs. He really did a great job with damage control."

Wakefield conceded that he has had better control of his knuckleball, but he found a way to make things work.

''I felt like I got lucky a couple of times," said Wakefield. "I got myself in some situations I didn't want to be in."

Take the A's outburst in the third inning, when, with two outs, Wakefield walked Eric Chavez, allowed a single to right by Scott Hatteberg, and surrendered a two-run double to Bobby Kielty. He settled down and got Erubiel Durazo to fly to right to end the inning.

In the sixth, with the cushion of a 6-2 lead, Wakefield allowed a walk, a single, and an RBI double by Marco Scutaro before again settling down to retire the side.

"I didn't have my best knuckleball, but like Terry said, 'damage control,' " said Wakefield.

Saluted A's manager Ken Macha, ''Over the years that I've been here, we haven't had a great deal of success with him. We did have some opportunities to knock in some runs. He's pitched better games against us."

But even when he doesn't have his best stuff, said Wakefield with a smile, ''I just find a way to work through it."