CHICAGO -- Nearly three weeks after a surgeon implanted a screw near his damaged right elbow, Cal Eldred is going back to the mound, trying to pitch his way into the Chicago White Sox's playoff rotation.

	Eldred

"I don't want to have a screw in my arm, but it's there. This is going to be a little different but it's what I have to do to get back out there on a normal basis," Eldred said Tuesday, the day before he was scheduled to pitch a couple of innings against the Boston Red Sox.

Eldred, with a long history of elbow problems and survivor of ` ligament replacement surgery in 1995, last pitched July 14, when he left a game against the Cardinals because of pain.

The diagnosis was a stress fracture of his elbow, the third straight season he's had the injury.

Dr. James Boscardin, the White Sox's senior team physician, inserted a stainless steel screw that's 4-to-5 inches long into the elbow on Sept. 7, saying it was done for Eldred's long-term future.

He and another injured starter, James Baldwin, who's battling shoulder tendinitis, were scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Depending on how they do, they could get another outing against Kansas City during the final weekend, then could pitch in Game 3 of the playoffs.

"If you had asked me when I was coming home from the surgery, I would have said, 'No way,' " Eldred said. "Things have progressed and bounced back well. But we're not there yet.

"This hasn't been a simple situation for me or the trainers or the doctor or (manager) Jerry (Manuel) or (pitching coach) Nardi (Contreras), the guys who have to make the decision."

Eldred said when he chose the surgery to try and save his career.

"Either do this surgery or go home and be a dad full-time," he said. "When you put as many years into baseball as I have at this point, you have the experience. When I'm healthy, I know can be successful. That was the deciding factor."

Eldred, 32, was 10-2 before the injury and his resurgence helped the White Sox start quickly and eventually win the AL Central.

"The main thing with Cal is that he's healthy afterward," Manuel said.

Mike Sirotka and Jim Parque will start the first two games of the playoffs. The Game 3 starter could be Eldred or 14-game winner Baldwin.

Sean Lowe, initially disappointed Tuesday when he thought he was being sent back to the bullpen, despite several effective starting performances, might also get the call if Eldred and Baldwin aren't ready.

"Sean has done well," Manuel said. "But when you have a Cal Eldred and James Baldwin, if they show up and show they have progressed to a point where they can pitch in playoff games, then you have to go with them."