Tim Wakefield threw 51 pitches in a simulated game on Monday afternoon at Fenway Park. The disabled knuckleballer got up and down three times, threw 40 pitches in bullpen to get loose and tested his back and sore calf. "(He) threw the ball great," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "We made him cover first a lot of times. His calf is not 100 percent, that's fairly obvious. It doesn't affect him when he pitches. I think it's going to be important to see how he bounces back after running around out there. We've got to keep that strength going in the right direction. We don't want to make a mistake and pitch him too quickly. We definitely think he can get outs." For more, visit the Full Count blog. 

With one week left before the Aug. 17 deadline to sign their 2009 draft picks, the Red Sox have inked 11th-round pick Jason Thompson for $300,000 and are close to a deal with 10th-round pick Brandon Jacobs. Thompson, a switch-hitting shortstop, made his Gulf Coast League debut on Sunday. Jacobs, an incredibly powerful outfielder who was recruited to play football and baseball at Auburn, has not been taking part in football practice at Auburn; he is expected to sign for a bonus more typical of a player selected in the first two or three rounds of the draft before the deadline.
 
The Sox continue to negotiate with other top picks, including third-rounder David Renfroe and seventh-rounder Madison Younginer. Sixth-round pick Brandon Kline has elected to honor his scholarship to play at the University of Virginia.
 
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