Bull session proved very productive

With Curt Schilling scratched from yesterday's scheduled outing - perhaps in advance of a Game 2 start against the Angels - it was up to Julian Tavarez to close out the final game of the 2007 regular season. And, while it didn't exactly go well early for the starter/reliever, he made it through three innings before handing the ball to Jon Lester with a three-run deficit that eventually turned into a 3-2 loss.

Though the team isn't announcing its rotation for the postseason yet, it appears it will be Josh Beckett, Schilling, and Daisuke Matsuzaka, in that order. Last night, however, Ch. 4's Dan Roche reported the order would be Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Schilling. In any case, the Red Sox had to finish off the regular season with a game against the Twins in front of 36,364 fans in chilly Fenway Park.

"We get to play a game with our sights set on bigger things," manager Terry Francona said before the game. "It's not a bad way to come to the ballpark. I love the other days, too, because you come and you're nervous. I was nervous Friday. I mean really, I was really nervous, in a good way. Not so much anxiety, just nervous. It's enjoyable. I mean, to be out there and be nervous and to know or think you're going to win, I enjoy that feeling a lot."

While there were no nerves yesterday, the best news for the Red Sox came from a staff that combined to hold the Twins scoreless after Tavarez departed. The team got two innings from Lester, in his first career appearance out of the bullpen, followed by an inning each from Mike Timlin, Manny Delcarmen, Eric Gagné, and Jonathan Papelbon.

"The way we drew it up - not the first inning - but after that, everybody came in starting with Lester and had clean innings, threw strikes, didn't get stretched out too much," Francona said. "It worked out very well."

And as for the decision to pitch Lester in a role in which he never had pitched, Francona said, "We had talked about that the last couple days. Again, just trying to cover innings. If it ever does happen - I'm not saying it's going to - but if it ever does, we didn't want it to be a first the next couple weeks."

Applause meter

Francona tried to give Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell some recognition in the sixth by removing them in the middle of the defensive half of the inning. The crowd didn't seem to realize what was happening when Pedroia was taken out, but they got it for Lowell's exit. He tipped his cap before heading into the dugout, while getting a standing ovation. "It was great," Lowell said. "Honestly I don't think I've ever had a curtain call or a standing ovation in nine years. There weren't enough people in Florida to feel like you had one. I think it was just nice. Tito doing it, so guys can get that applause, is a nice gesture. The fans here have been great. They've been great to me since Day 1. I feel like I've really enjoyed the last two years playing in front of these fans. So hopefully we can finish a full month more." Pedroia finished the season with a .3173 batting average, including 165 hits. That's the highest average for a qualifying rookie second baseman, nudging Pittsburgh's Jim Viox, who hit .3171 in 1913. And Pedroia ended the season with a kick, a .324 average with 10 doubles and 24 runs in his last 26 games.

Rookie mistakes

More from the St. Petersburg Times on the story involving Delmon Young. The rookie center fielder apologized to Joe Maddon after the manager benched him Saturday for not running out a ground ball. Young, a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year, originally said he would not show up for today's game. Though he wasn't in the starting lineup, Maddon got Young in the game for two at-bats, meaning he has appeared in all 162 games . . . Kevin Youkilis finished the season with 1,079 errorless chances at first base in 139 games. That's the highest ever in the American League, breaking the mark of Boston's Stuffy McInnis (.999 in 1921). The only player with more errorless chances was San Diego's Steve Garvey, who had 1,319 in 1984. Youkilis's last error came 1,586 chances ago . . . Jason Varitek hit his 17th homer in his final at-bat. He is 7 for 22 over his last eight games . . . Julio Lugo stole a pair of bases to give him 33 this season. Only two players have more for the Red Sox since 1935, Tommy Harper (54) in 1973 and Otis Nixon (42) in 1994. Boston's 96 steals is its most in 12 years (99 in 1995) . . . Jacoby Ellsbury, who started in right field for the first time this season in place of J.D. Drew, got caught off first base on a ninth-inning single that advanced Brandon Moss to third with no outs. He rounded the bag too far, and was thrown out by right fielder Michael Cuddyer . . . Postseason rosters must be set by 10 a.m. Wednesday for the Red Sox . . . Of the aftermath of his Riverdance performance Friday night, Papelbon offered this: "The aftermath was a lot of headaches, a lot of sore muscles, achy bones. A little throwing up here and there. But, you know, it was fun. No regrets." . . . There will be a rally for the Sox today at City Hall Plaza from 4-7 p.m.