The Red Sox' closer throws 13 pitches for the PawSox and strikes out all three batters he faced.

01:00 AM EST on Saturday, March 25, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It may have only been a minor-league game, but for Keith Foulke, it was a major step forward.

"He was phenomenal," gushed Curt Schilling after Foulke, pitching for Pawtucket, struck out all three Ottawa Lynx batters he faced yesterday. "That was as good as I've seen him since October of 2004. That's exciting, very exciting to see that."

Foulke threw 13 pitches in the eighth inning, 10 for strikes, and recorded all three strikeouts on swings.

"I felt pretty good," said Foulke. "I made some good pitches. I was happy with the pitches I made. My fastball was still a little up in the zone, but I kept them off balance enough.It makes me feel good. I felt like I made some good pitches for the first time out."

His fastball topped out at 86 mph, a bit slower than two years ago, when his fastball was routinely 89-90. But Foulke, who until yesterday had thrown only live batting practice or in simulated games, believes that will come in time.

"I've probably got a little more in the tank," he said. "This was my first game-type action, so I was still thinking about my mechanics. I can probably throttle up a little bit more. That will come when we start getting in a little bit of a groove."

While the fastball needs some improvement, his changeup, often his out pitch, looked sharp yesterday.

"They were right on the edge of the strike zone," he said. "They're moving down and they're good speed. The hitters react how I wanted them to react -- they didn't react until the last second. That's encouraging to me."

Foulke reported that he had no trouble with his knees, both of which were surgically repaired last offseason. He's been getting injections of Synvisc, a lubricant, to give him better flexibility in his knees.

"The knees are good at this point," he said. "The knees are a nonfactor. Now it's all about getting my mechanics set. I've already been through a couple of different deliveries this spring. But now it's just trying to find out what's going to work for me.

"The way I feel, if (the knees) continue to get better, that's just money in the bank. The way the knees feel, I have no doubt I can go out and pitch in a big-league ballgame."

He's scheduled to face the Toronto Blue Jays today, then, barring any setbacks, will pitch against Tampa Bay on Monday. In addition to showing manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Al Nipper that he can handle the closer's role again, he has to show the rest of the Red Sox that he's again capable of closing out a game.

"I definitely have to prove myself to my teammates," he said. "Most of them know I'm a pretty good pitcher and that last year was something in the past. It will be nice when they have that confidence in me again (to the point) when I come running out to the mound, you can almost put (the game) in the books."

His arm, he emphasized, "felt great," and Foulke believes a few more appearances in the next week will have him ready for the April 3 opener.

"We've still got some stuff to prove," concluded Foulke. "But today was definitely a step in the right direction."

smcadam@projo.com / (401) 277-7340