The Sox were asked about the possibility of another invasion of midges -- the tiny bugs that swarmed Jacobs Field and impacted Game Two of the ALDS against the Yankees.

``I did bring along some bug spray,'' said a giggling Daisuke Matsuzaka. ``But in terms of preparation, that's about it.''

``Anytime there's been bugs on my body,'' joked Terry Francona, ``I'm not sure I felt real comfortable talking about it. I don't know what to say. I guess it's kind of like rain. If it rains, you handle it. If it snows, you handle it. If it's cold, you handle it. I guess if there's bugs, you get bug spray.''

That said, the chance of another infestation is highly unlikely, since temperatures are about 20 degrees cooler here than they were 10 days ago.

*****

Present for the optional workout yesterday were eight players from the active roster -- Jacoby Ellsbury, Doug Mirabelli, Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matszuaka, Dustin Pedroia, Tim Wakefield and Bobby Kielty -- and another four players not on the 25-man roster: Brandon Moss, Royce Clayton, Kevin Cash and Bryan Corey.

The Sox set an ALCS record by using eight pitchers in Game Two on Saturday night, one shy of the LCS record set by the New York Mets in a 15-inning game on Oct. 17, 1999 …The Red Sox have committed just one error in 189 chances over the course of five postseason games...The combo of David Ortiz and Manny Ramriez has reached base in 33 of 46 plate appearances in the postseason, for a combined on-base percentage of .717 … Ortiz carries a 10-game postseason hitting streak into Game Three tonight. In his last 25 playoff contests, he's hitting .425 (40-for-94) dating back to Game 5 of the 2003 ALDS … This marks the ninth time the Sox have been involved in a postseason series that was tied 1-1. In the previous eight, the Sox went 3-5 in Game Three.

-SEAN McADAM