The nauseating, how-on-earth-did-it-come-to-this feeling currently afflicting the region has become as unwelcomingly familiar to New Englanders as the knot in the stomach that typically precedes a mid-winter blizzard or the dread that surfaces just before reaching the Southeast Expressway during rush hour.

For the third consecutive October, the Red Sox find themselves forced into desperation mode following the entirely unanticipated sluggish start to a playoff series, but the swell of emotions – apprehension, uneasiness, disappointment, even anger – becomes no easier to handle.

After losing the first two games of the American League Division Series to the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, the Red Sox again have to run the table with three straight victories today, tomorrow and Sunday if they intend to keep hope alive of defending their World Series title.
This afternoon, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will attempt to start the comeback when he opposes Chicago right-hander Freddy Garcia.

"We're against the ropes again," designated hitter David Ortiz said yesterday during the club's workout at Fenway Park. "(Today) you have to show everything you have or that's it."

After the Sox absorbed a 14-2 pummeling in Game 1, then giftwrapped a 5-4 victory to the White Sox in Game 2 following a costly error by second baseman Tony Graffanino, the burden falls upon Wakefield, who led the Sox with 16 regular-season victories.

Wakefield was pounded in his last start by the New York Yankees last Saturday – he allowed seven earned runs in five innings – but he has a history of succeeding in vital postseason starts.

Wakefield, who is 5-4 all-time in the postseason, showed as far back as 13 years ago that he has the capability of shutting down opposing batters with elimination possible. In the 1992 National League Championship Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie recorded a pair of complete-game victories over Tom Glavine, including a 13-4 win in Game 6 that sent the series to a seventh and deciding game.

Wakefield wasn't called on to pitch last year in the Division Series due to the brevity of the sweep over Anaheim, but he played a key, yet largely overlooked, role in the ALCS, which helped Boston become the first major league team to overcome an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series and defeat the Yankees to advance to the World Series.

Wakefield gave up his scheduled start in Game 4 of the ALCS in order to eat up innings (3 1/3) to preserve the rest of the bullpen in a 19-8 defeat in Game 3. He later earned credit for the win in Game 5 with three scoreless innings of relief.

"We're in the same situation as last year against the Yankees, when we needed one good outing from Derek Lowe to get the ball going," pitcher Bronson Arroyo said. "That's what we need from Wakefield."

The Sox are 11-2 in postseason games when facing elimination since the 1999 ALDS vs. Cleveland, including 8-1 in 2003 and '04.

"I don't think guys are as panicked as we have been in the past," Arroyo said. "We're down to our last drop again, but guys have been through this before."

Returning to Fenway should certainly provide a boost. The Red Sox had the best home record in the majors this season (54-27) and went 5-1 at Fenway last October.

"We almost seem like a different team here, for some reason," reliever Mike Myers said. "Hopefully, this will be the sparkplug that gets us going."