BOSTON — Daniel Bard hasn't been around the major leagues long, but it's been long enough to know that there will be ups, and there will be downs.

July? That was an up, the likes of which few relievers ever see. Twelve scoreless innings, 20 strikeouts, no walks.

August, on the other hand, has been down, down, down. Bard was shelled at the beginning of the month, and saw his ERA jump from an outstanding 2.01 on Aug. 1 to a season-high 3.76 on Aug. 24.

But there is reason to believe that Bard, 24, is ready to ascend again and perhaps reclaim the setup-man role that he briefly occupied when things were going well. And that was on display in the bite and depth of his slider Wednesday night.

With Bard, the 100-mph fastball is always there. Sometimes the location isn't perfect, but the pitch is definitely his calling card.

It's his breaking ball that ranges in quality, and through much of August, the pitch wasn't providing enough of a contrast with his fastball.

When it's ineffective, the pitch resembles a curveball, slower and with more loop. It's easier to whack around, and the lack of contrast makes it easier to sit on his fastball.

"It gets a little loopy sometimes, that's me just getting a little too curveball-minded with it, getting around it with my hand instead of staying behind it," Bard said.

The pitch was a problem early in the season, but then Bard tried a new grip and aimed lower in the zone. That worked for a time. But then through early August, Bard had trouble with the pitch, throwing some the way he wanted to, and leaving others up in the zone, making them tempting targets for power hitters.

"When it's down, when it's starting at the knees and finishing below the zone, I'm getting a lot of swings and misses. When it's up, they've run into a couple lately, and that's just going to happen. They were sitting on it in that count. When it's down below the zone, I'm happy with it," Bard said.

But Bard may have turned another corner with the pitch. In his last few outings, Bard has used a new approach, leading to a tighter, harder breaking pitch, sitting right between 87 and 89 mph, where he wants it. Instead of treating the slider like, well, a slider, he's acting as if the pitch were a cut fastball, and due to Bard's body style and arm speed, it comes out like a slider.

"I'm holding it like a cut fastball, throwing it like a cut fastball, and it comes out like a slider, so whatever works," Bard said.

It works because Bard is not your average pitcher, said pitching coach John Farrell. He's not just a hard thrower; he's a pitcher who delivers with finesse. The coaching staff has slowed down his delivery and forced a longer arm stroke to maximize the late action of the pitch.

"He is not only visualizing the break of the pitch, but he is executing it, and the mindset to that. He has gone from what would be considered more of a curve or a slurve, to a little bit shorter, tight slider. Now in his mind, he's referring to it as a cutter, so it's added the power," Farrell said. "And it is a true slider, because he's able to create depth."

In his last few outings, Bard has felt better about the pitch, and he looked dominating Wednesday in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless work against Chicago. He had the slider and fastball working in concert, and struck out Jim Thome on a pitch that the scoreboard clocked at 101 mph (although other measures put in the high 90s).

It was enough to warrant high praise from White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

"Who's that guy? He pitched pretty good. I'd rather face Papelbon than that guy, if I was a hitter. This kid's pretty good," Guillen said.

Guillen isn't the only one infatuated with Bard. His fastball, calm demeanor and all-around potential make many observers think Bard could close for Boston someday if Papelbon departs. Bard wants none of that navel-gazing or soothsaying. For now, he's doing his best just to stay away from thinking about his situation, whether he's pitching the seventh or eighth, whether he's getting into tight games or blowouts.

"The times this year when I've worried too much about my role is when I've gotten myself in trouble," Bard said. "If they put me out there I'm going to do my best to get outs as quick as possible, and let the rest of it take care of itself. If we're playing in the postseason and winning in the postseason, then I don't care what role I'm pitching in."

Bard's role could continue to morph slightly in coming weeks, especially with the addition of Billy Wagner to the bullpen. On the surface, they don't seem particularly similar. Bard is a long and lanky righty, while Wagner is a shorter, squatter lefty. The two fire much the same arsenal, however: high-90s heat, devastating slider. Bard expects he'll have a lot to learn from the 38-year-old veteran closer.

"I was always really impressed by how hard he threw. He was the hardest thrower in the game for a long time, one of the only guys who could touch 100 for a while.

He threw it for strikes, and he had that great slider, too," Bard said.

Someday, if all goes well, young pitchers could be talking about Bard that way.

dbarbari@projo.com