Tim Wakefield's knuckleball didn't respond favorably to a 40-minute rain delay last night at Fenway Park.

Wakefield had the ball dancing through all corners of the strike zone in the first six innings of the Red Sox' 7-4 victory over the White Sox. He threw an efficient 70 pitches through six scoreless frames and he had the Red Sox up 5-0 when the rain and the lightning arrived at about 8:50 p.m.

Wakefield had been so effective that manager Terry Francona had every reason to send him out for the seventh against the White Sox. But Paul Konerko opened the inning with a home run to left, his 30th of the campaign and the 200th of his career. Aaron Rowand followed with a rocket to left-center for his 10th of the season that cut the Sox' lead to 5-2.

"Physically I felt fine and I threw a little bit in the cage," Wakefield said. "I went on the field and they allowed me to take as many as I needed out there to get loose, and I just lost a little bit of rhythm and some feel. You try to stay in a rhythm like that in a rain delay, but for me it was like 45 minutes. Fortunately, we scored enough runs to have a lead."

Wakefield retired the next two batters before giving up a double to Joe Crede. The knuckleballer exited to a huge ovation. He went 6 2/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts in his 23rd start of the season. When the Red Sox closed it out, Wakefield improved to 12-9 with a 4.07 ERA.

Wakefield's breakdown in the seventh wasn't as serious as the one he experienced against the White Sox on July 22 at Cellular Field. He started the sixth with the score tied 1-1 and promptly gave up a pair of three-run homers in a 7-1 loss. Wakefield is 5-10 lifetime against Chicago.

"He went back out and he didn't look tired and he didn't look stiff but a couple of balls rolled," Francona said of Wakefield's outing last night. "Once he gave up that next hit, he had had such a good night, but I just thought it was time to get him out of there."

Wakefield retired the side in the first two innings and needed a neatly executed double play to escape a jam in the third with the Red Sox ahead, 1-0. With men on first and third with one out, he got Pablo Ozuna to ground into a double play.

The White Sox threatened again in the fourth with men on second and third and two outs. Wakefield induced a flyout to center from Jermaine Dye to preserve a 4-0 lead.