At 42, many thought Tim Wakefield’s days of being a capable starting pitcher were over at the beginning of the season. Think again. Not only is Wakefield pitching well, he’s pitching well enough to be named to the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

On Wednesday, Wakefield showed exactly why he’s an All-Star. In six innings of work, Wakefield struck out eight batters and gave up three earned runs to win for the 11th time this season. The knuckleballer has an ERA of 4.14 and a WHIP of 1.38.

Wakefield has a chance to set a career-high in wins. In 1998 and 2007, he had 17 wins. Last season, he had a record of 10-11.

His 11th win of the season came over the Oakland A’s. With their 5-4 victory, the Red Sox improved their record to 51-33. Oakland dropped to 35-48 with the loss.

The next time you see Wakefield on the mound will be win he’s pitching for the American League.

Roy Halladay, who may very well be the best pitcher in baseball, has been placed on the trade market by Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi. Halladay, who has a no trade clause in his contract, doesn’t seem upset about the possibility of being traded.

Said Halladay: “I want to stay, but I think it’s a situation you have to evaluate. I’m really not at that situation just yet. If something does come up, you weigh your options at that point. I hate to put the cart in front of the horse and start saying ‘Do I want to do that?’ I think you just evaluate the situations when they come.”

Where could he be headed. Here are a few Roy Halladay rumors about his possible destinations:

Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have the hitting to win a World Series, however their pitching needs a lot of help. Halladay could answer a lot of questions.

Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are looking for starting pitchers all around the world. They have even gone to the Dominican Republic to take a look at Pedro Martinez.

Boston Red Sox
Although they probably have enough prospects and talent to get him, the Red Sox may opt to instead hold onto their young studs.

New York Yankees
If there is a big name on the trade market, you just know the Yankees will be interested. Like with the Red Sox, do the Yankees want to trade their minor league talent for Halladay?

The 2009 baseball season is headed towards the All-Star break. Although there are a ton of teams in the playoff race, here are the teams that are ahead of the pack.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers held on with Manny Ramirez out of the lineup. Now that he’s returned from his suspension, the Dodgers will be difficult to stop.

2. Boston Red Sox
Although they’ve cooled off as late, the Red Sox are the one team no one in the American League wants to see in the playoffs. With their pitching improving, they’ll be a tough out in the postseason.

3. New York Yankees
All that money is starting to figure out how to win. Since Alex Rodriguez returned, the Yankees have been elite.

4. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are trying to get past their emotional start to the season. As the campaign goes along, expect L.A. to grow their lead in the AL West.

5. San Francisco Giants
The Giants are the surprise team in baseball. They have great pitching — lead by Tim Lincecum. If they get enough hits, they’ll be in the race for the duration.

On Thursday, John Smoltz will return to the mound for the Boston Red Sox. It will not only be his first start of the 2009 baseball season, it will also be his start not for the Atlanta Braves. From 1988 to 2008, Smoltz put together a marvelous 20-year run with Atlanta that saw him win 210 games and save 154 games.

After a bitter breakup with the Braves, the 42-year-old Smoltz ended up signing with the Red Sox as a free agent. Coming back from a shoulder injury, Smoltz has been working all offseason and all regular season to get to this point.

Said Smoltz: “This is not the old or the new or the done. It’s just a new chapter in which when I have a baseball in my hand, I feel like I can make a pitch and do the things I have to do to take the sting out of the bat. And if that’s the case, we’ll progress and keep getting better every time out. But tomorrow is just one rung in the ladder to try and climb as far as I can to see how good I can be, and really at the end of the day to be in position to pitch in the playoffs.”

The playoffs look like a very good possibility for the Red Sox right now. With a record of 44-27, Boston has a five games lead in the AL East over both the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Smoltz believes that his return to the mound will leave Red Sox fans happy.

“It will be a success,” proclaimed Smoltz.

A few rumors out of Boston point to star Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka possibly missing the rest of the 2009 baseball season. While sources near the Red Sox deny those rumors, there is certainly smoke even if there is no fire.

In a recent interview, Matsuzaka didn’t exactly stomp out the rumors of him being done for the season.

“If I keep going like this I’m just going to be a burden to this team,” said Matsuzaka to the Boston Herald, “and there’s no way I can keep going like that.”

Currently, Matsuzaka is on the disabled list with weakness in his pitching shoulder. Hisstruggles this season can be traced back to the World Baseball Classic, according to manager Terry Francona.

Matsuzaka’s struggles are apparent in his stats. He has a 8.23 ERA with a 1-5 record. Last season, the native of Tokyo pitched great for the Red Sox — finishing with a record of 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA.

Keep a close eye on Matsuzaka’s injury status. He’ll be shut down for at least a while, however if he struggles when he tries to come back, don’t be surprised if his season is over.

Daisuke Matsuzaka - Out for the Season (Image: Zuma Press)

Jacoby Ellsbury, the speedy center fielder for the Boston Red Sox, injured his shoulder as the Boston Red Sox lost on Sunday to the Texas Rangers by a final count of 6-3. Ellsbury suffered the injury by making a diving catch in the fourth inning to rob Ian Kinsler.

Despite suffering the injury, Ellsbury stayed in the game. It wasn’t until the end of the fifth inning that Ellsbury went out. Trainers for the Red Sox are calling his injury a shoulder strain.

For the season, Ellsbury is hitting .302 with one homer and 16 RBIs. Arguably most importantly, Ellsbury has swiped 23 steals this season. Entering his second complete season in the big leagues, he has emerged as a quality outfielder for Boston.

After the game, Ellsbury spoke as if he didn’t believe the injury is serious. With the Red Sox having an off day on Monday, there’s a chance that he’ll give it a go on Tuesday.

Jason Varitek, the longtime catcher for the Boston Red Sox, had a busy day against the Minnesota Twins. When it was all said and done, he had to be happy — despite the drama.

He started the game with a solo homer in the fifth inning that tied the game at 1-1. In the seventh, he hit another solo shot to put the Red Sox up 2-1. Those home runs were number nine and number ten on the season for Varitek. Those power numbers are impressive considering he hit just 13 homers last year and hasn’t hit more than 20 since 2005.

Varitek’s night really heated up in the bottom half of the seventh inning. After Josh Beckett was obviously disappointed by the home plate umpire, Varitek came to Beckett’s defense and ended up getting ejected from the game. Red Sox manager Terry Francona joined the argument and he was subsequently ejected.

Oddly enough, the Twins lost their catcher and manager in the top half of the seventh. Catcher Mike Redmond got a quick ejection and then manager Rod Gardenhire was also ejected after a short argument.

Following the two Varitek homers and the four total ejections, the Red Sox were able to hold on to a 3-1 victory over the Twins.

Here is the Jason Varitek video showing his two homers and his ejection:

Dom DiMaggio, who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1940 to 1953, died on Friday at the age of 92. The younger brother of Joe DiMaggio was nicknamed “The Little Professor” and made the All-Star game seven times (1941, 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952).

Dom DiMaggio, Boston Red Sox (Image: Newscom)

In his career, which was partially interrupted due to World War II, had a batting average of .298, an on-base percentage of .383, 87 homers, 618 RBIs, 1046 runs, 308 doubles and 57 triples.

Dom DiMaggio was born in 1917 in San Francisco, California. His brother Joe DiMaggio was born in 1914 in Martinez, California and had a Hall of Fame career with the New York Yankees. Vince DiMaggio, the oldest of the DiMaggio brothers, was born in 1912 in Martinez, California and made the All-Star team twice while with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Vince DiMaggio died in 1986, while Joe DiMaggio died in 1999.

Dom DiMaggio’s funeral will be at St. Paul’s Church on Monday in the city of Wellesley, which is just a few minutes from Boston.

Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays flirted with a perfect game on Thursday evening in a showdown with the division rival Boston Red Sox. Garza’s perfect game was broken up in the top of the seventh inning when Jacoby Ellsbury got an infield single in the top of the seventh inning.

Garza finished the night was 7.2 innings pitched while giving up only one hit and one walk. He struck out ten batters on his way to lowering his season’s ERA to 3.82 and picking up his second win. Grant Balfour finished off the game and the Rays easily beat the Red Sox by a final count of 13-0.

At the plate, the hitting hero for the Rays was Evan Longaria. The second-year star went 3-for-5 with three runs and four RBIs. His big hit was a homer in the sixth inning. Backup catcher Michel Hernandez was 4-for-5 with a run and three RBIs.

On the mound for the Red Sox, Josh Beckett struggled mightily. He gave up seven earned runs in 4.2 innings. He allowed ten hits and three walks. After looking impressive in his first start of the season, Beckett has looked worse and worse as the season has progressed. He now sports a 7.22 ERA after five starts.

Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays (Image: Newscom)

Kason Gabbard was dealt in 2007 from the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers in a deal that involved Eric Gagne. On Thursday, the Rangers traded him back to the Red Sox in exchange for cash.

The 27-year-old Gabbard is a 6-foot-3 left-hander from Ohio. At the time of the trade, he was pitching in the minor leagues.

Last season, Gabbard had a 4.82 ERA in 12 starts. In 56 innings, he gave up 64 hits and 39 walks, while striking out 33 batters.

In 2007, prior to being traded to the Rangers, Gabbard had a 3.73 ERA with the Red Sox in seven starts. As a rookie in 2006, he had a 3.51 ERA in 25.2 innings.

While the Rangers are in need of starting pitching, Gabbard wasn’t viewed by the team as a long-term solution. In fact, Texas was trying to turn him into a reliever.

According to various reports, Gabbard will likely be kept at the minor league level by the Red Sox.

Kason Gabbard is Back with Boston (Image: Flickr)