Mike Timlin is expected to be an important part of the Red Sox’ bullpen in a variety of ways.

AP / Charles Krupa

BOSTON — In the players’ vernacular, it’s not as if it had been Mike Timlin’s first rodeo.

The Boston Red Sox right-hander is a veteran in the majors. This is his 17th season. He’s 41 years old.

But when he stood on the mound at Fenway Park on Opening Day last Tuesday, Timlin admitted he was nervous.

“I hadn’t been there for a while,” said Timlin.

Indeed, Timlin had thrown sparingly this spring because of a strained oblique muscle he suffered early in camp. So he had a couple tune-ups with Pawtucket and he has been able to get his feet wet with two one-inning stints in a pair of blowout Boston victories.

Timlin, though, could be very important to the Red Sox’ bullpen in a variety of ways, especially the way manager Terry Francona has been using flame-throwing closer Jonathan Papelbon. And that’s fine with Timlin.

“Whatever they want me to do,” said Timlin in spring training, when the closer’s role was open. “If they want me to close, that’s fine. I’d welcome that opportunity. But if they want me to come in the eighth or the seventh or whenever, that’s fine, too.”

Of course, now the closer’s role is filled. Papelbon, who has the ability and the makeup to become one of the game’s great closers, is Boston’s late-inning go-to guy.

But Francona’s use of Papelbon still might leave the ninth inning open, when the statistical save can be awarded. Francona has brought Papelbon into the game in the eighth inning twice already, when the game was hanging in the balance, rather than waiting for the statistical save opportunity in the ninth.

The thinking was that if the Sox hadn’t gotten out of tight jams in the eighth against the Rangers and the Angels, respectively, in those games, there might not have been a save for Papelbon to claim in the ninth had Francona waited to call on him.

Thanks to an economy of pitches, Papelbon finished against Texas and earned the save. Friday night against the Angels, Papelbon needed only six pitches to blaze his way out of a tight spot and the Sox’ six-run rally in their half of the inning kept him on the bench for the ninth. Had he finished he would have gotten the save, but Francona elected to save his arm from the wear and tear.

So Timlin entered, and looked more solid than he had in his first outing. He worked a spotless one-two-three inning.

“My arm strength is almost there,” said Timlin the other day.

“I was more comfortable and I threw the ball better. I was happier with myself. I was more mentally prepared for the game. The first game I was nervous. I let the score [a big lead, at 14-1] affect me. It [a big lead, 10-1] didn’t affect me [Friday night],” said Timlin, who was cuffed for two runs in his inning against the Mariners on Opening Day.

Timlin is an important member of the bullpen. Neither Brendan Donnelly nor Joel Pineiro has distinguished himself in the early going, and J.C. Romero has had a huge valley to go along with a couple of peaks.

The Sox need Timlin to provide stability for Francona. For the most part of his four years in Boston, Timlin has been dependable. But last year, fighting a few injuries, Timlin was shaky, especially after the All-Star break.

The sampling this season is small, but Francona made it clear he is counting on Timlin to return to his effective self.

“The first game I thought he had the normal jitters. But in a perfect world we would be able to get him in [blowout] games and we’ve been fortunate to pitch him in those situations,” said Francona.

“We have to get him ready to pitch the seventh and eighth innings and know he can do it. But it’s not fair to expect him to do that until he gets his legs under him, and he’s doing that,” said Francona.

And then there are those times when Timlin may follow Papelbon and pitch the ninth after Papelbon has gotten out a tough situation in the eighth. Francona thinks Timlin can do that.

“Having [Timlin] be the guy he was for his first three years and not the guy he was for the last few months last year is important,” said Francona. “But to be able to use him in multiple roles is huge.

“Pap doing what he’s doing is great in itself. But if you don’t get through the ninth [after Papelbon in the eighth] it doesn’t help. Having a guy like Timlin to do that and not being stubborn but being flexible enough to do it and handle it is huge,” he said.

“We can think out of the box or however you want to word it, but if your players aren’t flexible enough to do it and understand it, it doesn’t work. We have the players here who are willing to put the team first,” said Francona.

Timlin, a veteran of 963 appearances in the big leagues, is one of them.

“I’ll do what they want me to do,” said Timlin. “It’s all about the team. The Red Sox are going to here long after I have faded from the scene.”

The Sox, meanwhile, are hoping Timlin has something left and isn’t quite yet ready to fade away because as the bullpen is constituted now, they need him to be effective to succeed.

skrasner@projo.com