01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, June 13, 2006

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

When the Boston Red Sox' season began, and the roster was set for Opening Day in Texas on April 3, there was a bit of an undercurrent relative to the pitching staff.

The sentiment seemed to be that what you see is not what you're going to get come the end of the season.

There was young pitching in the pipeline. The thought process being that with a little more time spent developing these promising arms in the farm system, the Red Sox' staff would be replenished and fortified by young, fresh pitchers up from the minors for the stretch run.

It is only the middle of June. But the future is fast becoming now in Boston.

Jonathan Papelbon, still technically a rookie despite the experience he gained in the big leagues last year, has shown himself to be one of the best closers in the game, mixing a dominant fastball and pitching acumen with an air of confidence that rarely is seen at such an early stage in a big-league career.

Papelbon, of course, has been making major contributions since the beginning of the season, one key element to explain why the Red Sox are in first place as they enter a three-game series in Minnesota tonight after having enjoyed a day off yesterday.

But over the last few weeks, more young pitching help has been sprinkled into the mix. Manny Delcarmen. Jon Lester. Jermaine Van Buren. Craig Hansen. Live young arms.

Delcarmen (24 years old), Lester (22) and Hansen (22) have been often touted. Van Buren (26 in July), an offseason acquisition from the Cubs for a player to be named, has shown effectiveness at times in his two stints in Boston.

And, while Lester, a hard-throwing left-hander, has just arrived to plug the hole in the starting rotation left by the injury to David Wells, the others offer intriguing bullpen options for Boston manager Terry Francona, whose recent late-game options haven't been very comforting at all.

Julian Tavarez (33 years old). Rudy Seanez (37). Keith Foulke (33).

They may not be ready for the old-folks home, but those veterans have not been at all consistent out of the bullpen, unless you want to call them consistently mediocre.

Then there's Mike Timlin (40). He has been effective, but tonight he'll be available for the first time since May 25 after spending time on the disabled list because of a stiff right shoulder.

While easing Timlin back into his setup role, it's time to start giving the ball to Delcarmen in late-game situations with leads to protect for Papelbon. It's time to flip-flop roles for Delcarmen and the generally ineffective duo of Tavarez and Seanez. It's time to give Delcarmen a chance to see what he can do instead of giving the ball to Foulke and crossing your fingers. Let Tavarez and Seanez come in with the team behind in the sixth inning.

Delcarmen has been proving that he can get outs in the big leagues. He had a taste of the majors last year, and is in his second tour of duty in Boston this season. On Sunday, he picked up his first big-league win after blanking the Rangers for two innings in the Red Sox' come-from-behind, 5-4 win in the first game of a day-nighter.

He has an electric fastball and his curveball has improved, a pitch he has been able to throw for strikes for the most part since coming back up on May 28. Delcarmen appears ready for the challenge of taking on a more pressure-packed role.

Obviously, it is hoped by Francona and the Sox that Timlin's return will reinstate stability in the bullpen. And there's something to be said for having veterans who have been through pressure situations in the past manning those key relief roles.

Young pitchers will have their ups and downs, a learning curve, if you will, that can only be conquered with experience in such situations.

That youthful inconsistency helps explain how Van Buren, sent down to Pawtucket because of a roster log-jam, can be so effective three outings in a row and then mix in a bad one, as he did in his time with the Red Sox from May 26 to June 6. But with Van Buren and the others of his generation, there is the proverbial upside.

For the veterans? Well, the Sox are on the hook for some big bucks for Seanez ($1.9 million this year) and Tavarez ($6.7 million for two years). So it's difficult to relegate them to mop-up-men status. Maybe they can mix in a few effective games here and there. Maybe they're not done yet. But nothing they have done this year so far merits that kind of confidence.

That's where Delcarmen comes in, with Van Buren and Hansen continuing their development in Pawtucket, on-call if (when?) the Sox decide Tavarez and Seanez are holding them back or if more injuries strike the bullpen's elder statesmen.

In the rotation, meanwhile, the odds are stacked against Wells (43) making a significant contribution in what would seem to be his final season in the big leagues. Lester, who had a major-league debut in a rain-delayed game last Saturday, is going to be given every chance to fulfill his lofty promise.

So think about this: A bullpen of Papelbon, Delcarmen, Hansen and Van Buren, with maybe David Pauley (23 this week), who made three starts out of Double A before being officially optioned to Pawtucket yesterday, available for long relief. A rotation that includes Lester.

The Red Sox are going to be getting much younger, and much better for the future, which very easily, based on the talent already shown, could come as early as the stretch run this season.

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