BOSTON - One bad game, one bad outing doesn't necessarily determine which pitchers stay and which pitcher goes when making a roster decision.

That's what Boston manager Terry Francona said after the Sox designated Kyle Snyder for assignment last Sunday to make room for Josh Beckett, who was coming off the disabled list. Snyder's final outing - two walks and a sacrifice bunt.

Now, Mike Timlin's activation off the DL is imminent, likely before tomorrow night's game against the Yankees.

So who goes to make room for him? Two relievers on the bubble are right-handers David Aardsma and Bryan Corey. They both pitched last night. Aardsma pitched decently; Corey did not.

After working 1 2/3 scoreless innings, albeit with two walks, Aardsma would seem to have the edge of sticking around at this point because Corey has faltered. Corey faced four batters last night and retired only one of them, torched for two runs on a walk, a single, a sacrifice bunt and a two-run single by Brandon Inge. That made it two straight dreadful outings for Corey, who gave up four runs on four hits in one-third of an inning last Saturday in Toronto. Then Javier Lopez, another possible roster casualty, surrendered a homer in the ninth to Carlos Guillen.