Last night's 9-3 loss to the woeful Milwaukee Brewers was bad enough for the Red Sox, but compounding the impact was an ankle injury that knocked starter Tim Wakefield from the game in the top of the third inning.

A wayward pitch from Brewers starter Wayne Franklin hit Wakefield - the Sox' No. 9 hitter in the interleague contest - squarely above the right ankle, sending Wakefield to the ground in a heap.

He crumpled to the dirt and laid on his back for several minutes at home plate while a retinue of Red Sox coaches and medical staff checked his ankle. Wakefield eventually was taken off the field in a medical cart.

X-rays taken at Miller Park revealed no fracture, only a bruise of the medial mallelous of his right tibia.

Wakefield, who had an air cast on the ankle and was walking with a pronounced limp after the game, does not believe he will go on the disabled list for just the second time in his career. He and the team could not say if the knuckleballer will make his next start.

``I can't answer that, I haven't really stood on it yet,'' Wakefield said. ``I don't think I'll be on the DL. I don't think it's that bad of an injury. I'll just keep it up and see how it feels.''

Wakefield said there was no way he could have gotten out of the way of Franklin's 0-1 pitch.

``That ball was so far in the batter's box it wasn't funny,'' Wakefield said. ``It was a terrible pitch by him.''

Wakefield said he initially thought the ankle was broken.

``Everything was numb, the foot was killing me on both sides,'' he said. ``When (trainer Jim Rowe) pressed on it, I almost came off the ground.''

The Red Sox now are 3-7 on the road trip and need to win the final two games against the Brewers to be able to limp back to Fenway Park on a positive note.

The New York Yankees extended their American League East lead to 1 1/2 games with a 5-3 win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The Sox have lost eight of their past 11 road games and 12 of their past 19 games overall.

Pedro Martinez already has missed three starts with a strained right lat muscle. The ace might pitch Wednesday if all goes well, but until then the Sox will struggle to solve their pitching woes.

``Thankfully, nothing is broken (in Wakefield's ankle), but that didn't help matters, having to go to the bullpen early and have to ask for so much from them,'' manager Grady Little said.

The Red Sox fell behind, 3-0, early last night, but pulled even in the top of the sixth on Manny Ramirez' colossal solo home run.

``When Manny hit the ball out of the park, we were feeling pretty good there for a few minutes,'' Little said.

The good feelings quickly dissolved, however, as reliever Hector Almonte (0-1) gave up a five-run Brewers explosion in the bottom of the inning that put the game out of reach.

Wakefield, now 5-2 with a 5.10 ERA in 11 starts, did not fare well before the injury. He gave up a two-run home run to Wes Helms and solo shot to Royce Clayton in the second inning.

Almonte did not pitch as bad as his pitching line suggests - 1 2/3 innings, six hits, five runs - but he was responsiile for the outcome.

``It's a big loss for us,'' Almonte said. ``But this game is nothing now, it's out of my mind.''