Gems on diamond

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- If not for the convoy of ex-Marlins wearing red, Alex Gonzalez's enchanting performance yesterday might be viewed as something fleetingly fantastic.

''You haven't seen anything yet," said Matt Clement, a Marlin in 2001.

''Mike Lowell was in there laughing," said Terry Francona. ''He said, 'You'll see it all year.' "

The Sox lost, 7-5, in 10 innings to the Dodgers, but the day belonged to the bedazzling shortstop playing behind Clement (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's).

To begin the game, Gonzalez went toward the hole to run down a Willy Aybar grounder, planted, and threw a one-hopper to J.T. Snow.

''He's quick enough to cut the angle off," Lowell said. ''A lot of guys have to go deep in the hole on that play."

In the third inning, Ramon Martinez grounded a ball up the middle. Gonzalez lunged, snared the ball behind second base, did a 270-degree spin, and threw Martinez out on a similar one-hop toss. It's clear that he has perfected getting the ball to first on an ideal hop.

But, Lowell, Gonzalez's teammate the last seven seasons, said, ''I can't say I've ever seen him take one [in practice] and try to do that. It's a talent he has."

Gonzalez (1 for 12 this spring before yesterday) came to bat in the bottom of the inning and launched a solo homer for a 1-0 lead. He went deep only five times last season, after launching 23 homers in 2004 and 18 in '03.

Gonzalez's much-talked-about injury last season was to his right elbow, but Lowell said a shoulder problem might have cost him some power.

''His shoulder definitely was a problem," Lowell said. ''I don't know how much it affected him. I don't know if he'd tell you the truth if you asked him. He's quiet. It's not good or bad. It's just him."

Gonzalez was not available after the game.

Dustin Pedroia measured 5 feet 8 inches at his physical last spring. This year, he measured 5-9 1/4. Could he really have grown? ''Yeah," said the 22-year-old prospect. ''They said I did." Told the adjustment would be noted in print, Pedroia said, ''Thank you."

Pedroia, the Sox' top pick in 2004, injured his left shoulder March 2 taking an awkward swing at a changeup and isn't expected to appear again in a Sox uniform this spring. Francona said he hopes Pedroia will be healthy enough to begin the season on time with Pawtucket, and Pedroia is certain of it. The question that follows: What position will he play?

''I don't know," he said. ''They haven't told me. Honestly."

Pedroia, by his rough count, has played only about 110 games at second base in his life, though 97 of those came last season. That was largely a function of the Sox being set at shortstop, both for the present (Edgar Renteria) and the future (Hanley Ramirez).

However, both have been traded, and all indications point toward Pedroia returning to shortstop this season at Pawtucket, ideally to succeed shortstop Gonzalez after this year. The club won't say as much, but logic suggests the Sox would prefer long-term stability at shortstop ahead of stability at second base.

No position in the offseason will offer more free agent talent than second base, with Alfonso Soriano, Ronnie Belliard, Adam Kennedy, Jeff Kent, Craig Counsell, Craig Biggio, Tony Graffanino, Todd Walker, and Mark Loretta all expected to be available.

The Sox assigned 13 players to minor league camp, reducing the roster to 47. Those who packed up yesterday: pitchers Jon Lester, Abe Alvarez, Edgar Martinez, David Pauley, Jermaine Van Buren, Tim Bausher, and Franklin Nunez; outfielders Brandon Moss, David Murphy, and Tyler Minges; and infielders Luis A. Jiminez, Rodney Nye, and Josh Pressley.

Lester, despite being reassigned, will pitch twice more for the Sox, Thursday and next Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Pauley will start tomorrow vs. Baltimore at Fort Lauderdale.

Van Buren, the Cubs' 2005 Triple A Pitcher of the Year (52 appearances, 25 saves, 1.98 ERA), had pitched only 1 1/3 innings. He easily has the most unconventional windup of any Sox pitcher, and the club hasn't determined whether that's going to make him successful or just make him someone they'll have a hard time coaching.

''At the major league level, I don't know how that's going to work," Francona said. ''I don't see him commanding enough right now to be on this team."

Martinez, a catcher until 2004 who physically looks like the second coming of El Guapo, has surrendered one earned run in three innings.

''The game's not too quick for him," Francona said of Martinez, who is 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA in 62 1/3 minor league innings at Single and Double A. ''He's got a lot of poise, a nice arm. He's still decelerating on his changeup. We think there's a chance this kid's going to be a major league reliever."

David Wells's spring debut, scheduled for Thursday in a minor league game, is likely to last only two innings. Behind the scenes, there's some interplay between the club (which wants Wells to progress slowly) and the pitcher (who wants to start the season on time). ''He wants to know when he's pitching," Francona said. ''I told him, 'David, as of the 4th of March, you wanted to be traded. Now all of a sudden you want to pitch second [in the rotation]. It's not going to work that way.' If there's not flexibility on his part, we'll bump heads a little bit. We'll get that figured out." . . . Rudy Seanez walked in a run and heard some boos yesterday. In five spring innings, he has given up 10 hits, 3 home runs, 4 walks, and 8 runs (7 earned). ''He's fighting to command his fastball," Francona said . . . Asked in the morning about Kevin Youkilis's power potential, Francona said, ''That'll be really interesting. I don't know." Youkilis went out and homered for the second consecutive day . . . The Sox fell to 3-8 this spring, but not before nonroster invitee Ron Calloway forced extra innings with a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the ninth. In the 10th, Jimmy Serrano gave up a two-run shot to Aybar . . . Theo Epstein and Grady Little talked for a while during batting practice and shared a long handshake and smile before parting ways.