Schilling entered with two outs in the eighth, fanned the only batter he faced that inning, and went back to the mound in the ninth with a two-run lead in hand. His 10th save in 11 opportunities would have sealed the Sox' seventh consecutive win and 15th in 17 games. Instead, he allowed three runs on four hits and a walk, the last act of the night a John McDonald two-out RBI single down the line in left that set into motion the 30,426 fans at Comerica Park.
In his last three outings -- Friday and Saturday vs. Chicago, and last night against Detroit -- Schilling has pitched a cumulative 3 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits. He's now appeared in 19 games in 32 days since coming off the disabled list, and allowed 13 runs in 21 1/3 innings. That's a 5.48 ERA, with nine saves in 11 chances and a 3-3 record as a reliever.
Schilling, clearly, is a man searching. He shook off Jason Varitek to begin the ninth, and Placido Polanco singled to right.
''In hindsight, it was probably a real bad decision on my end," Schilling said. ''You start the inning off by allowing the leadoff man on . . ."
Schilling popped up the next batter (Chris Shelton) before leaving a 1-and-1 splitter up to Dmitri Young that Young hit to the base of the wall in left-center. The Tigers won't identify the dimensions of the park out there, but it's rumored locally to be 435 feet. Young, who is listed at 245 pounds, crashed into third with an RBI triple, pulling Detroit within 6-5.
Schilling then fell behind Magglio Ordonez, 1-and-0, left a fastball over the plate, and Ordonez lined it to left, scoring pinch runner Nook Logan to tie the game. Unnerved, Schilling walked Craig Monroe on four pitches, then collected himself to fan Brandon Inge with a splitter.
