“[Brown’s] going to be okay to go out there and compete.”JOE TORRE

BOSTON – Joe Torre cannot guarantee victory with Kevin Brown tonight in Game 3 of the ALCS. Torre wouldn’t do that.

But Torre is plenty confident that his veteran right-hander will come through with a quality outing against the Red Sox. And his evidence is based partly on the way Brown pitched the last time he took the mound.

One week ago today, Brown went out against the Twins in Game 3 of the ALDS and proceeded to fire six innings of one-run ball, helping the Yankees win what may have been the pivotal game of the series.

“I’m confident just by the way he’s been since that start, and the throwing session he had before that start, it’s been pretty consistent as far as how he’s felt,” Torre said, “and that’s usually a pretty good indicator, that not necessarily he’s going to win, but that he’s going to be okay to go out there and compete.”

While Brown’s effort last week was superb, he will face a far tougher task when he takes the hill at Fenway Park tonight. And the main difference, of course, exists in the opposing lineups.

Nobody in that Twins lineup had more than 81 RBIs during the regular season. On the Red Sox, four players topped that total. That included the leadoff hitter, Johnny Damon, who drove in 94 runs.

“They have a great lineup up and down the line,” Brown said of the Red Sox. “They don’t allow to you have any easy outs. You have to go out and concentrate and work on every hitter, keep guys off the base, keep them from having big innings.”

That was easier said than done the last time Brown faced the Sox. Back on Sept. 26, he was shelled for four runs and six hits in two-thirds of an inning. A similar result tonight could end up sliding the momentum squarely back to the home team’s dugout.

Brown’s only other time facing the Sox in Fenway this year came back in April, when he permitted four runs in six innings in a 5-4 loss.

Tonight, he and the Yankees are hoping the third time’s the charm.

Game 3 pitching matchup

Kevin Brown vs. Red Sox, 2004

GS IP H ER HR BB SO AVG W-L ERA

3 13.2 19 9 1 4 6 .322 0-1 5.93

Bronson Arroyo vs. Yankees, 2004

GS IP H ER HR BB SO AVG W-L ERA

4 24.0 26 14 3 4 16 .271 0-0 5.25