''We have to be patient with Jose,'' Guillen said Wednesday, a day after Contreras' record fell to 0-3 and his ERA rose to 8.04 in a 10-3 loss to the Orioles. ''We're lucky just to have him on the mound [after he ruptured his left Achilles tendon in August]. Plan B, I don't see that happening real quick.''

Guillen didn't go into details on what Plan B would entail, but all indications are that means Clayton Richard to the rotation and Contreras to the bullpen. While Richard has been OK in spots, his 4.32 ERA in seven relief appearances doesn't exactly scream ''savior.''

So it's Contreras for now, and it didn't even take a meeting with Guillen, pitching coach Don Cooper and general manager Ken Williams to decide that.

''Like I said [Tuesday] night, you cannot go by your heart and your feelings to make decisions because you might make the wrong one,'' Guillen said. ''We had a conversation with [Contreras] about the situation. The velocity is there, but I don't think Jose has the confidence right now to let the ball go.''

Contreras' biggest problems have been finding his forkball and getting lefties out. The first one could be a quick fix because he had trouble finding his forkball before the 2005 season, and once he did, he took off.

The second problem is a bit more telling. Right-handers are hitting .200 against Contreras, while lefties are hitting .342.

''I met with Jose and tried to give him a little better plan of attack,'' Cooper said. ''He has to command better. We need to be better against lefties. It's really coming up with a better plan and better ways to eliminate left-handed hitters.''

Cooper didn't think the Achilles was an issue but said the Sox would continue to monitor it. The bottom line is everyone agreed the problems are fixable.

''We haven't thought about alternatives or discussed them,'' Cooper said. ''We're just discussing how can we make it better. Let's see if we can take care of that. But if it doesn't work, well, then, it can happen to anybody. They're big boys. They know.''