He’s been a lifesaver for the Red Sox amid disappointing seasons for Joe Kelly and Clay Buchholz, an unfulfilled one for Eduardo Rodriguez, a decent one for Rick Porcello, and a less-than-$217 million-caliber one for David Price.

Steven Wright, who improved to 8-4 while his ERA rose a tad to 2.22 Wednesday night in a 6-4 win over the Orioles (7? innings, three earned runs) at Fenway Park, continued to pitch like an All-Star and he’ll likely be one.

Wright has nothing more to prove except one thing — can he be this strong in his 30th start? Will he make it to 30 starts in his first full season as a major league starting pitcher?

“I think I can,’’ Wright said. “All I can do is go one start at a time. That’s the only way I’m going to know. But there’s no reason I can think of that I can’t make every start.’’

Right now there isn’t a pitcher on the team you’d rather have on the mound. Wright has won five straight straight starts, averaging seven innings during that stretch. He has also thrown three complete games, joining Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto, and Chris Sale with the most in the majors.

Not bad for a guy who was the team’s sixth starter and out of minor league options when spring training started. He pretty much had to be on the team or the Sox would risk losing him on waivers. So, they kept him. He was supposed to work out of the bullpen, but injuries happened and Wright took a spot in the rotation and hasn’t relinquished it.

It’s easy to root for Wright, 31, a down to earth native of Moreno Valley, Calif., who attended the University of Hawaii and was once a traditional pitcher. He now throws three different knuckleballs at speeds between 64 and 74 miles per hour. He throws a fastball at about 86 and mixes in a curveball. You won’t see many knuckleballers throw a fastball that hard, so the possibility exists of a little more wear and tear on the shoulder than the normal trick pitcher.

We haven’t seen a game this season where Wright just couldn’t get his knuckleball over the plate enough, except an outing against the Astros May 13 at Fenway when he lasted 4? innings and allowed nine hits and five runs because he had trouble gripping a wet ball.

Otherwise, there haven’t been any down outings for Wright, which is why we often compare this stretch with the incredible run Tim Wakefield had in 1995, when he went 14-1 over 17 games for the Sox.

Wright had a shutout Wednesday night over 6? until Adam Jones hit a two-run homer, breaking Wright’s streak of 22? innings without allowing an earned run. And then Wright watched from the dugout as Junichi Tazawa allowed an inherited runner to score.

Wright has been the ace of the staff, and he’s making $514,500. He can’t become eligible for arbitration until 2018. Entering Wednesday, he had a 14-9 record in 38 career appearances, 23 starts, for a 3.14 ERA. It’s amazing how he’s done nothing but get better since the Red Sox obtained him from the Indians for first baseman Lars Anderson on July 31, 2012.

“The team gives me a lot of confidence that I can go out there and if I can put a quality pitch over the plate I just let the defense do the rest,’’ Wright said.

Will he wear down? Both Wakefield and manager John Farrell don’t think it will happen.

“This is something that Steven has been doing for a while now,’’ Farrell said. “He’s 31 years old. He’s not a young kid. He hasn’t made 30 starts, but I don’t see him being a guy who can’t get there. He knows what he’s doing out there.’’

Wright’s high for innings came in 2008 for Kinston and Akron, Single and Double A teams in the Indians organization, for which he threw 147? innings as a traditional pitcher. Wright didn’t become a full-time knuckleballer until 2011.

Because the pitch puts less strain on the shoulder, Wakefield believes Wright will be able to pitch 30-plus starts and 200-plus innings. But while everyone, including Wright, believes he can do it, until he does it . . .

And the way the Red Sox’ starting rotation is designed, they depend on Wright to save the bullpen, save their rotation every time he pitches. Is that too much pressure on a guy who already has exceeded expectations, and who now has higher expectations placed on him every time he pitches? Is that fair?

Comparing Wright with other knuckleballers is futile. No two are the same. They all bring a different twist to the pitch and to the setup of the pitch. Wright is relatively new to the process and with every outing he breaks new ground in terms of starts and innings.

The only other question is whether Wright can compete for the Cy Young. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, then pitching for the Mets, won the National League Cy Young with a 20-6 record and 2.73 ERA over 233? innings in 2012.

Dickey was on a roll that season and never broke stride.

Wright is now on that type of a roll.

But it’s also his first full season as a major league starting pitcher, and none of us know if he can sustain this dominance. But the journey has been fun to watch so far.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.