Despite going seven strong innings last night, Curt Schilling says the pain he endures requires receiving shots of a numbing agent before his starts.

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, June 11, 2004

BY PAUL KENYON
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Now that Nomar Garciaparra's Achilles is better, Red Sox fans who need something else to fret about can turn their attention to Curt Schilling's right ankle.

Schilling sure does not look like a pitcher who is having ankle problems. He went seven strong innings last night as he pitched the Sox to a 9-3 victory over San Diego.

In the process, the workhorse took over the American League lead in innings pitched (92), tied for the league lead in victories (8), strengthened his hold on second place in strikeouts behind Pedro Martinez (81), moved up to fourth in earned-run average (3.03) and maintained second place in fewest walks per nine innings (1.4).

It seemed incongruous, then, that much of the discussion after his performance last night focused on his ankle. But that's exactly what happened. While Schilling has spoken earlier about how he is having trouble with his ankle, he discussed it at length last night.

"I'm concerned because it hasn't gone away. It's been around for four of five weeks," he said. "We're trying to keep on top of that as best we can."

There is enough pain that Schilling is receiving shots before games of Marcaine, a numbing agent. The shots kill the pain for about 2 1/2 hours. Last night, he, Bill Morgan, the team physician, and Chris Correnti, the Sox' physical therapist, changed the schedule slightly.

"We did it before our time (frame), just to make sure it didn't wear off," Schilling said. "I've noticed in the past if it did come up in the game it affected me as much mentally as physically." The new time schedule worked out well.

"I felt good all the way through tonight," the big right-hander said.

The pain occurs only when Schilling throws a fastball.

"It's only when I do one thing, get in that position," he said. "Unfortunately, that's one of the positions I need to be in every fifth day."

When he throws a fastball, "I rotate my foot on the rubber. It's half on and half off. My foot is inverted. The only pitch that I actually drive off the rubber and push off the rubber with is my fastball.

"The combination of my foot being inverted and trying to extend at the same time has caused some problems in the joint. There's no really quick fix for it," he said.

It has caused him to make adjustments in his schedule.

"The hard part for me right now is that I haven't been able to throw on the side the last couple times, and that's a big deal, in a sense, for me just to kind of stay tuned up," he added.

Schilling said the problem is serious enough that he would consider surgery or whatever else would be necessary to fix it, but only after the season is completed.

"Oh, sure," he said when asked about that. "A clean-up, I guess. We really haven't gone down that road." With more than half the season remaining, Schilling is determined to pitch through it.

"I'm not sure there's any other option. This is a situation where you don't give yourself a lot of options until one is forced on you," he said. "It's working. Whatever we're doing right now is working.

"I leave the medical ramifications up to the doctor," he continued. "If this gets to the point where I'm damaging something, then we'll re-evaluate. My biggest concern is that mechanically I want to stay the same. My arm feels so great right now that I don't want to take a chance on altering my mechanics and messing up my arm."

Schilling said his splitter was better last night than it had been in his last six or eight starts. As it is, he has gone at least seven innings in each of his last five outings and nine of his last 10. One concession he has made is not worrying about complete games. He threw only 91 pitches last night but did not complain when manager Terry Francona lifted him.

"I guess there comes a point in time when you've got to start getting a little more realistic," he said. "As much as I like to compete and as much as my mindset is on nine, I think there's a different way to do that."

The prime thought now, he said, is to think about "what's best for me in the long haul."