Schilling said he'll talk with with Terry Francona and Epstein today to discuss whether and when he'll rejoin the Red Sox, refusing to make an official proclamation. But he made some comments at the end of his news conference last night that seemed to suggest his next start won't come with the big club.
''That [big league start] ends up when, all the physical questions, you've answered them all and it's just a matter of going to pitch," Schilling said. ''Those aren't all ironed out for me yet.
''There's a bigger picture to think about than just me getting back into the rotation. There's five guys throwing the ball well. We're in first place. When I come back, I don't want it to be a baby-sitting situation. I don't want them to have to worry about having somebody up [in the bullpen] when I go out there. I don't want to be on a pitch count. I don't want to throw this thing out of whack because I want to be back in the big leagues. That's not what this team's about.
''Somebody's going to go to the bullpen when I come back, and it's going to be a starter. I want to be ready. I don't want to come back and pitch, I want to come back and be myself. When we're ready for that to happen, it'll happen."
Epstein declined comment, saying he wanted to talk with Francona and Schilling before addressing the media.
Schilling's performance spoke volumes, though. If anything, he digressed from his last outing, when he held the Knights to a run on five hits in five innings in Charlotte on 78 pitches. Though he struck out eight last night -- including the last two batters he faced -- the Knights hit three doubles and a home run off Schilling, the tater inching over the right field wall off light-hitting Wilton Guerrero's bat in the fourth.
''I think frustration is the word that probably defines the day for me," said Schilling, who flew to Texas last night to meet his Boston teammates. ''I didn't pitch well. I did a lot of things wrong today. It's frustrating."
