Between them, Schilling and Wakefield have 336 career victories. It's probably safe to say it's the most wins by two opposing pitchers in a spring training minor league intrasquad game.

Fearing he might tip his hand, Schilling refuses to pitch against American League East teams. So traveling across Alligator Alley to face the Orioles in Fort Lauderdale was out of the question.

The way his schedule has been set up, Wakefield might not have to leave Fort Myers until he makes his first regular season start April 4 in Texas. The plan is to pitch Wakefield between Schilling and Josh Beckett, creating a knuckleball sandwich for opposing teams.

"It's worked before between Pedro [Martinez] and Schilling, and I pitched behind Roger [Clemens] when Roger was here," Wakefield said. "I like the philosophy."

The usually guarded Wakefield was uncharacteristically more talkative than Schilling. Wakefield offered a great deal of insight about a number of topics, from the depth of the pitching staff and how the Red Sox stack up against the Yankees to life without his former personal catcher Doug Mirabelli.

"Obviously the Yankees lineup is one of the best in the American League," Wakefield said. "But I think if we pitch the way we're able to pitch and play defense, I think we can beat them like we have in years past."

Josh Bard caught both Schilling and Wakefield. It was the equivalent of catching 11 innings without a break, a feat even more impressive considering the contrast in pitching styles. Schilling pitched six scoreless innings. His line: four hits, one walk, six strikeouts and no hit batsmen. Wakefield went five innings -- one run, two hits, one walk, two strikeouts, one hit batter and a wild pitch.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought," Bard said. "That's a lot of credit to those guys. They threw strikes. They got ground balls. There wasn't really any innings where they were really laboring."

Wakefield and Schilling are among the pitchers who have praised Bard.

"Josh, I think, can do a good job catching me," Wakefield said. "And obviously, the comfort level with Doug is going to be there if we reacquire him, but I don't know if that's a possibility or not."

Schilling, who beaned two batters in each of his last two outings, threw an 0-and-1 fastball that sounded like it nicked a batter on the arm in the third inning. Red Sox player development consultant Dick Berardino, who called balls and strikes from behind the mound, called it a ball.

Schilling threw 80 pitches and said he could have gone longer. "I felt stronger in the sixth than I did in the first," he said.

Most of his fastballs were 91-92 mph. He said that's where he usually is in spring training.

Schilling, who has vowed to pitch inside more this year, has gained a comfort level with throwing a changeup, a pitch he expects to be a weapon for him.

"I've never used it at all," Schilling said. "I had Johnny Podres as a pitching coach [in Philadelphia]. He threw one of the best changeups ever and I couldn't grasp it then. It's something I've always wanted to have and never been comfortable with it. The last two years, I really started to practice it a lot. Last year, I started to try and bring it out in a game. I got a couple outs with it in a game last year at the end of the year because I was kind of running out of options. It's just gotten better."

Schilling threw a handful of changeups Wednesday. In the fourth, David Murphy hit one to the warning track in right-center, but Jacoby Ellsbury made a diving catch.

"Right where I wanted to throw it," Schilling said. "He leaned out and did exactly what I wanted him to do with it. He was out in front and the ball carried a lot father out than I thought. He's a strong kid, but that was a fantastic catch."

Watching Martinez and Johan Santana fool hitters, Schilling decided it was time for him to add a changeup.

"There's going to be days when it's going to win games for me, there's no question in my mind," Schilling said. "There were days when Petey would never throw it but he would get people out because he had it. That's the point I want to get it to."