A riddle for Red Sox fans would go something like this: Why does Tim Wakefield, a career knuckleballer with nearly 2,500 innings to his credit, boast an ERA that is nearly half a run better indoors?
Why has he yielded 1.37 walks and hits per inning outside, and 1.22 in domes? Why are opponents hitting an astounding 36 points better against the veteran in fresh air?

Why, for that matter, was Wakefield knocked around in domes last year, to the tune of a 6.35 ERA in 17 innings?

The answer has less to do with Friday night's opponent, the Minnesota Twins, than you might think, and a lot more to do with Tampa Bay? The Devil Rays have hit .185 in 83 career innings against Wakefield at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., but scored four earned runs in five innings in his only appearance there last year.

At the Metrodome, on the other hand, Wakefield has a 4.38 ERA in 63 2/3 innings, a hair above his career ERA of 4.28. No, the Twins won't have to fight the unconquerable forces of mysterious drafts and stale air to beat Boston's 40-year-old wonder. Wakefield, it would seem, is no product of air conditioning.

The Red Sox traveled to Minnesota on Thursday night and will face the Twins and starter Carlos Silva on Friday. Silva, like Wakefield, is a pitching oddity, a starter who has built a career on otherworldly control.

In 2005, batters hit .290 off Silva, but the 6-foot-4, 246-pound right-hander had a 3.44 ERA on the strength of just nine walks this season. Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who normally displays great control, issued three free passes in just the first inning on Thursday.

Silva had less luck in 2006, when hitters had little trouble reaching base by any method they preferred; he had a 5.94 ERA and allowed 246 hits in just 180 1/3 innings.