While it's obviously too soon to tell whether this is a team built to win close, low-scoring games, after going 3-22 last season when scoring two or fewer runs, the early trend is encouraging.
''It's a testament to our pitching and it builds momentum to win one-run games," said Jason Varitek, who went 2 for 3 and in the sixth inning doubled to knock in David Ortiz with the winning run.
Schilling (2-0) handed over the one-run lead on a viciously cold night before 41,166 at Camden Yards. Temperatures dipped into the 30s in a game that was delayed 90 minutes at the start by rain.
Timlin allowed one hit (to Nick Markakis) before Paplebon came on to retire Miguel Tejada, Jay Gibbons, and Kevin Millar, the Orioles' 4-5-6 batters, getting Millar to strike out swinging.
''When your starters go seven, it's special," Papelbon said. ''It's special to be able to get in there and save a game for guys who throw so well, as our starters have. I just went in there and gave it all I had."
The Sox, who have taken the first two games of this series, didn't start so well, with base-running blunders by Coco Crisp and Ortiz costing them a chance at early runs. Who could blame them if they were merely trying to keep warm? But the Sox were soon able to solve the sneaky-fast offerings of Orioles lefthander Bruce Chen. Enough, anyway, to come away with the win.
While Schilling's fastball wasn't quite what it was on Opening Day in Texas, when he regularly hit 93 to 94 miles per hour on the radar gun, he located it well. Chen, too, had good location, keeping the Sox off balance early.
But, as is their game plan on most nights, the Sox made Chen throw strikes. He needed 99 pitches to get through five-plus innings, and was out of the game after walking Ortiz and allowing a wall single to right to Manny Ramírez. Ortiz eventually came home on Varitek's double to right off reliever Sendy Rleal, who escaped the inning without further damage.
Schilling allowed a home run to No. 9 hitter Luis Matos to lead off the sixth, cutting the lead to 2-1 and causing one to reflect on the base-running snafus.
