By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET – After his latest stint at McCoy Stadium, Mike Timlin proclaimed he is fit to return to big league action.
“Yeah I do,” said Timlin matter-of-factly following a 1-2-3 sixth inning for Pawtucket last evening, a frame that only required 10 pitches (seven strikes) on the 42-year-old’s part. “I felt good; the ball came out real well. I thought I had decent control and got three groundballs, which I wanted.”

It stands to reason Timlin will be activated today, though the reliever had yet to receive official confirmation.
“I’ve got [Boston GM] Theo [Epstein’s] number, but I’m not going to call him in the middle of [last night’s game vs. Detroit],” Timlin said. “I’ll show up [today] and see what happens.”
Timlin’s inning of work was so clean and effortless that it opened the door ever so slightly for him to return for the seventh inning. PawSox manager Ron Johnson said prior to the third of four contests against Lehigh Valley that Timlin’s workload would fall in the 18-25 pitch range.
Timlin knows if you have the chance to conserve bullets, you grab it. “Any time you are out there, you want to minimize your pitches. It was a one-inning deal.”
The veteran right-hander sustained a laceration on his right ring finger in a March 19 Grapefruit League game (the same day Boston threatened to boycott the trip to Japan) while attempting to get out of the way out a grounder. Timlin was officially placed in the disabled list on March 28.
Making his second trip to Pawtucket in as many seasons, Timlin worked a scoreless inning Monday. That night saw him serve as Pawtucket’s starter.
Wednesday’s assignment featured a different twist. Timlin reported for the top of the sixth, which seems to reason will be his assignment with Boston.
Plus he was coming in to face the heart of the IronPigs’ lineup.
“Everything’s fine; they just want to make sure,” said Timlin. “That’s what these two innings were about.”
Timlin needed just one pitcher to record his first out, a grounder to first baseman Brandon Moss. The next IronPigs batter provided a better test, for Timlin needed to deal seven times to cleanup hitter Andy Tracy before inducing a groundout to second.
Timlin finished up with Valentino Pascucci tapping out to second baseman Keith Ginter, who made a nice grab going up the middle.
The Red Sox have a tough decision on their hands. Once Timlin is reinstated, it will likely mean the end of one of the following relievers currently believed to be on the bubble: Bryan Corey, David Aardsma and Javier Lopez.
Still looking
Lehigh Valley can’t catch a break.
The newest member of the International League is still in search of the franchise’s first win after Pawtucket put two on the board in the last of the eighth. That was all the scoring the PawSox would need in notching its third straight win over the IronPigs, 2-0.
Simply put, Pawtucket did what Lehigh Valley couldn’t: deliver a timely base knock. The hero for the hometowners was Ginter, who snapped a 2-for-24 skid with a two-run single back up the box.
On the play scored Chris Carter and Brandon Moss, who singled and doubled, respectively, earlier in the frame.
Five Pawtucket pitchers teamed up to record the second shutout of the young season. Knuckleballer Charlie Zink, who worked in more change-ups that he featured in the past, went the first 4 1/3 innings, striking out five.
The bullpen finished with 4 2/3 hitless innings, allowing just one baserunner. Craig Hansen worked two clean innings, extending his scoreless streak to six.
Lee Gronkiewicz provided the finishing touches to earn his third save in as many opportunities.
The IronPigs’ best chance came in the second inning, but they left the bases loaded. That dropped Lehigh Valley to 3-for-35 with runners in scoring position, which probably explains a great deal about its 0-7 start.
Much too soon
Johnson agrees that it doesn’t make much sense to pass judgment on his club, not at this early juncture.
The reasoning: the unruly weather the players must preserve through.
“You don’t evaluate people right now,” said the skipper. “Not to make excuses, but right now its survival ball.”
***
EXTRA BASES: Johnson did hint that Bartolo Colon could possibility join the PawSox at some point on the upcoming eight-game road swing through Louisville and Indianapolis. The first day Colon is eligible to come off the DL is Friday, though that seems unlikely. … David Pauley will look to build on his fine first outing of the season when the homestand concludes this afternoon. In five innings last Saturday, Pauley was touched for an unearned run.

PAWSOX, 2-0 
 ab r h bi  ab r h bi
L.V.     PAW.
Watson cf 3 0 0 0 Thurston rf 3 0 1 0
Wdward ss 4 0 0 0 Kottaras c 4 0 1 0
Snelling lf 4 0 1 0 Lowrie ss 4 0 0 0
Tracy dh 3 0 1 0 Carter lf 4 1 1 0
Pascucci rf 3 0  0 0  Moss 1b 3 1 2 0
Jaramillo c 4 0 0 0 Bailey dh 3 0 0 0
Crvnak 1b 3 0 1 0 Ginter 2b 4 0 1 2
Bohn rf 3 0 1 0 Spann 3b 4 0 0 0
Dawkins 2b 0 0 0 0 Van very cf 4 0 2 0
Smith 3b 2 0 0 0 Zink p 0 0 0 0
Chiavacci p 0 0 0 0 Switzer p 0 0 0 0
Knotts p 0 0 0 0 Timlin p 0 0 0 0
Drenbrg p 0 0 0 0 Hansen p 0 0 0 0
Beirne p 0 0 0 0 Grnkwicz p 0 0 0 0  

Totals 29 0 4 0 Totals 33 2 8 2    
Lehigh Valley     000   000   000 — 0 4 2
Pawtucket          000   000   02x - 2 8 0
E- Woodward. DP - PawSox 1. LOB - LV 6. P 10. 2B - Moss. S - Watson, Thurston.

 IP H R ER BB SO
Lehigh Valley
Chiavacci 5.1 4 0 0 2 3
Knotts 0.2 0 0 0 0 0
Darenberg (0-2) 1.0 3 2 2 0 1
Beirne 1.0 1 0 0 0 1
PawSox
Zink 4.1 4 0 0 2 5
Switzer 0.2 0 0 0 0 0
Timlin 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
Hansen (W, 1-0) 2.0 0 0 0 0 2
Grntkwicz (S, 3) 1.0 0 0 0 1 0
T- 2:33. A - 2,882.