BOSTON (AP) – Curt Schilling is a meticulous note-taker, charting pitches and studying batters in search of something he might be able to use later on. Pedro Martinez is more of a clowning-around-in-the-dugout kind of guy.

Bronson Arroyo has his own identity, as his braided cornrows and King Tut beard should attest. Oh, by the way: He’s named after actor Charles Bronson.

“Everybody has got their own personalities,” Arroyo said Thursday as he prepared for his first career postseason start. “You have to figure out what works for you.”

Arroyo seems to have figured that out this year, going from extra starter in spring training to the No. 3 man in the rotation for the AL division series against Anaheim. Boston leads the best-of-five series 2-0, and Arroyo will have a chance to clinch it for the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday against Kelvim Escobar.

To do it, the 27-year-old right-hander doesn’t have to be as good as either of the Red Sox co-aces who preceded him to the mound in the division series. He just has to be as good as he was in his last nine starts – all Boston wins – when he went 5-0 with a 3.78 ERA to help Boston clinch the AL wild-card.

“Bronson has earned his stripes,” manager Terry Francona said. “He’s made a lot of starts this year and we’ve seen him evolve into a pretty good major league pitcher. And we would not give him the start if we didn’t think he could handle it.”

Arroyo was a castoff from the Pittsburgh organization who was claimed by the Red Sox before the 2003 season. He spent most of the year with Triple-A Pawtucket and didn’t make much of an impact in Boston until the playoffs, when he twice pitched a scoreless innings against the New York Yankees.

He was the odd man out heading north from spring training, getting a few starts while Byung-Hyun Kim was injured; when Kim came back, Arroyo was back in the bullpen. But when Kim faltered, Arroyo moved into the rotation, and there he stayed.

While Schilling got a lot of attention for his Cy Young-caliber year and Martinez remains a pitcher no team wants to face, Arroyo posted a solid season. He went 10-9 with a 4.03 ERA for the year and never missed a turn after shutting down Toronto for eight innings on May 15.

“Bronson has got a good head on his shoulders,” Francona said. “He’s taken this opportunity and he’s kind of run with it. … He’s a hard worker, and he’s growing into this.”

Arroyo got the nod over Tim Wakefield, another Pirates reject who is scheduled to start Game 4 on Saturday, if necessary. With everyone in Boston concentrating on whether Schilling or Martinez would start Game 1, the debate over the undercard got little attention.

So how does he like being the third starter in what’s perceived to be a two-man rotation? A lot better than being the sixth man on a five-man staff.

“I’m just glad that I’ve proven myself to be consistent enough to be given the ball in Game 3,” he said. “Pitching with these guys all year, it’s been unbelievable. Just to sit back and watch Curt with his preparation and kind of watch the differences between the two guys.

“You know, you see that not everybody is the same. There’s different ways to go about your business and have results.”

AP-ES-10-07-04 1937EDT