This column originally ran in The Standard-Times on Aug. 25, 2005.

By Nick Tavares

The Red Sox need a savior. Curt Schilling, come on down.

Strapped with all-of-a-sudden pitching woes, Schilling will move from the closer's role back into the starting rotation tonight. And everyone in Red Sox land, including Schilling, hopes his return to the starting staff goes better than his bullpen vacation.

The original purpose of his relief stint was twofold. First, he wanted to help the team when he knew he wouldn't have the strength to last more than five innings, and second, the Sox needed a late-inning stopper with Keith Foulke injured and ineffective.

Though he struggled in the 'pen (a 6.43 ERA to date isn't exactly flattering), the move back to starting was announced after his two perfect innings to beat the Los Angeles Angels in extra frames, which included four strikeouts.

He followed that with another rough relief outing, but the transition back should be much easier. The relief role was one he hadn't had in nearly 13 years; the starter's role is like an old pair of shoes.

As a starter, he'll undoubtedly have more confidence in himself. He'll be comfortable preparing for whatever starting nine Kansas City, and later, the rest of the league, decides to throw up there. He'll have Jason Varitek guiding his every move. And he'll know that one run in one inning won't be the end of the world; there will be more innings ahead of him, both in the game and the schedule.

But this switch still stinks of question marks. Moving Schilling now, when Foulke isn't ready to return, puts Timlin in the ninth inning. That in itself is fine, but getting to him could be an adventure. A combination of Jeremi Gonzalez, Mike Myers, Chad Bradford and Jon Papelbon, who will move out of the rotation, will be in charge of holding leads. Craig Hansen, this year's first-round draft pick who has been eating the low-minor leagues for lunch, might also join the team soon.

That leaves, potentially, two rookies, two side-armers and an ex-Devil Ray in charge of holding the bullpen together. It's not as solid as they'd like, and it's not a combination conducive to winning.

The biggest problem lies in the fact that this team is being patched together to hold the lead in the division, not to win in October. Praying for Schilling, Wade Miller and Foulke to bounce back isn't what World Series dreams are made of.

But of those three, Schilling will have the most asked of him. Without him, there's just no way they can succeed. As shaky as he was, he still plugged a hole, though sometimes leaky, when the Sox needed him. He's plugging a bigger hole this time. He being counted on to be a horse from now through October.

"I still have to go out and perform," Schilling told redsox.com. "Me going back to the rotation is not the answer unless I go back and I pitch well and I dominate. Still a lot has to happen."

He's absolutely right. He has to succeed, because this team doesn't stand a chance without him. There are still too many holes to seriously consider them a favorite in the World Series race. But there's no way they can even dream about postseason success otherwise.

They're banking on Schilling, his 38 years and his suspect legs to save the season. It might not be enough.

But if the Sox were ever going to lay all of their chips on one ace, they picked the right one.

He's come through before, and he'll burn himself out trying again.

He'll light that first match tonight.

Nick Tavares is a columnist for The Standard-Times. E-mail him at ntavares@s-t.com.

This story appeared on Page B1 of The Standard-Times on August 25, 2005.