Really, Curt Schilling just had to prove he still had it, huh?

Curt Schilling proved that he still has big playoff performances left in the veins. Now he gets to prove he’s got more in Game 2 Saturday.

With Red Sox Nation still buzzing over an ALDS sweep and overwhelming sense of shaudenfreude over the latest Yankee collapse, there was actual news to be made Tuesday, when Terry Francona announced that Schilling, and not Daisuke Matsuzaka, would start Game 2 at Fenway Park.

It’s an interesting shift. Dice-K didn’t pitch badly in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Angels, but he did have some serious rocky moments. The bullpen got involved earlier than wanted, and against a much more balanced lineup like the one Cleveland throws at a pitcher, it’s doubtful the Dice-man would have even lasted the 4 2/3 innings that he did.

That being said, some of what seemed to make Schilling’s dominance Sunday in Anaheim was predicated by the Angels’ big park. That should help Dice-K, too, but Schilling seems to gain so much from pitching in bigger parks than Fenway. He’s not the strikeout dominant pitcher he was when he came to Boston, that much has been proved over and over again. Still, isn’t that supposed to be who Dice-K currently is? Sure, he gives up some contact, but he gets lots of strikeouts, and most of his contact comes on hits that are bloops to the outfield or liners through the infield.

Schilling, meanwhile, gives up an even higher quotient of SSS’s (Schilling Solo Shots) in Fenway than he does anywhere else. The friendly confines have a hard time holding a lot of the fly balls that are long outs in places like Anaheim and, possibly, Cleveland.

Now, with all those prior things being said, we’re definitely not going to say that Francona is making a bad call in the shift. Schilling was absolutely masterful Sunday, dominating the Angels and looking even better after he got an early lead. It was the kind of postseason performance that has becoming vintage Schilling over the years; you just got the feeling that the game was over and won in about the fourth inning. That’s a great feeling.

Similarly, Dice-K has performed better on the road than he has at home throughout stretches of the year. By taking the pressure away from a Fenway start, it’s possible that he’ll settle earlier, avoid the first and second inning contact and cruise through a few innings, a luxury not afforded him against the Angels.

Will any of this happen? Who knows. But at the moment, it seems like a good idea. And right now, let Francona pull the trigger when he needs to. Worked well in round one, don’t you think?

– Cameron Smith