01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, July 4, 2004

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

ATLANTA -- The team was badly in need of a win. And the bullpen was exhausted.

So when manager Terry Francona handed the ball to Curt Schilling last night, the Boston Red Sox starter's mission was two-fold. He had to pitch Boston to a win, and he had to eat up innings.

And Schilling, with home-run help from embattled shortstop Nomar Garciaparra (3 for 4), center fielder Johnny Damon and catcher Doug Mirabelli (grand slam), succeeded on both counts in pitching Boston past Atlanta, 6-1, last night before a record crowd of 51,831 at Turner Field.

The victory snapped Boston's four-game losing streak -- all on the road -- enabling the Red Sox to finally breathe sighs of relief and flash smiles for the first time in about a week.

Schilling, economizing on his pitch total with the help of the aggressive Braves, threw only 114 in authoring his second complete game of the year, a six-hitter. Even his strikeouts were economical. Of his 10 whiffs, which matched a season high, four came on three pitches, including key back-to-back punchouts in the fifth when Boston's lead was a mere 1-0.

He improved his record to 11-4, tying Texas' Kenny Rogers for the American League lead in victories. He also lowered his earned-run average to 3.08, fourth-best in the league.

"I thought he was outstanding," gushed Francona. "As good as his stuff was, he understood the situation. He intended to finish that game from pitch one. And there was not one point where it looked like he wasn't going to finish that game. We desperately needed to win tonight."

"That was absolutely needed," said Damon. "(Schilling) told us before the game he was going to go nine. He knew the bullpen needed rest. He knew how huge this game was, and he stepped up."

Schilling for his part was satisfied with what he accomplished last night, acting as the Sox' stopper and injecting a little more confidence in the team's fans, if not the players themselves, that maybe their fortunes are about to turn around.

"When I came here I didn't expect to have to stop a lot of streaks because this is a good team, but that's one of the reasons they got me, to make a difference overall and in the smaller picture, for games like these. I take a lot of pride in that," said Schilling.

"Outside the locker room there's a lot more panic than inside the locker room," said Schilling. "We're frustrated. We should be playing a lot better than we are. We can't just say we're going to turn it around. We have to prepare and work hard to do it."

Schilling worked hard, keeping the game close until the offense came to life. Damon's homer in the sixth made it a 2-0 game. And after Bill Mueller battled his way to a two-out single that filled the bases, Mirabelli worked his way back from a 1-and-2 count before crushing a full-count fastball for a slam off Atlanta starter John Thomson and a 6-0 Red Sox advantage.

Mirabelli also did a good job behind the plate, catching Schilling for the first time this year with Jason Varitek being given a well-deserved rest.

"We spent a good half-hour before he stretched going over every single hitter," said Mirabelli. "You want to get to the pitch he wants to throw in two (signals). You don't want him shaking his head too much."

Schilling had no complaints.

"We were on the same page," said Schilling.

Schilling, meanwhile, can write a book on what it means to be a staff ace. A prime example occurred in the fifth inning last night.

The Sox were clinging to a 1-0 lead, courtesy of Garciaparra's second homer of the year, a clout to center off Thomson in the second, when Schilling got into a jam.

Charles Thomas doubled to center with one out, and Thomson smacked a single to right, with Thomas stopping at third. After a visit from pitching coach Dave Wallace, Schilling went to work.

Leadoff man Rafael Furcal was the first test with the tying run only 90 feet from home. Three pitches. Two backdoor sliders. One more fastball. Three strikes. Good-bye Furcal, whose swing on strike three was a day-and-a-half late at the final pitch, a 96-mile-an-hour heater.

Nick Green, the Braves' Friday night hero, was next. Three pitches. Three fastballs. Three strikes. Good-bye, Green, whose swing also was a day-and-a-half late at the final pitch, yet another 96-mile-an-hour missile.

Schilling trudged off the mound, his 1-0 lead intact.

"He's one of those guys who can reach back for a little extra and keep his location," said Francona.

By the time he was back on the hill, the Sox were ahead, 6-0. He lost his shutout in the sixth, on Adam LaRoche's shattered-bat infield single down the third-base line. But if first baseman David Ortiz had been able to pick the throw from Mueller, who made an outstanding barehand pickup and throw, LaRoche might have been out.

Overall, Schilling held the Braves to 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, the hits being Thomson's opposite-field single and LaRoche's weak hit. It all added up to a win.

Will it help add up to a start for Schilling in the All-Star Game in Houston on July 13?

"I'm not thinking about that right now," said Schilling. "I'm thinking about my next start (Friday, at home against Texas)."

Last night's start, though, was a big one for the Red Sox, everyone agreed.

"You've got to start somewhere," said Francona. "Hopefully this will be the start of a run for us."