Papelbon may start thinking like a reliever

TAMPA -- There's no telling when Jonathan Papelbon will make another start. In all likelihood, his five innings last night against the Yankees, during which he gave up two runs on five hits, will be followed by a move to the bullpen.

''I haven't heard anything," said Papelbon, who in five spring starts went 0-2 with a 5.50 ERA (11 runs on 20 hits in 18 innings, with 8 strikeouts and 8 walks). ''Hopefully, they'll let me know what's going on."

Looking back on what has been his first major league camp, the 25-year-old said, ''I've enjoyed it. I feel like I've done a lot of learning this spring. I've been put in situations to learn. Learning to stay within myself. Like tonight, there were moments where I could have let the game get out of control."

If Papelbon moves to the bullpen, he said he'll go there armed with three pitches he believes in -- fastball, slider, splitter -- though he's still learning when, where, and how to throw his secondary pitches. Last night, with two outs and none on in the second inning, catcher Ken Huckaby wanted Papelbon to throw a slider in the dirt to Bernie Williams.

''My thought process was, 'I haven't thrown one all night. I'll throw one here for a strike,' " Papelbon said.

But he hung it, and Williams left the yard.

''I'll put that in my back pocket," Papelbon said.

If/when he goes to the bullpen, Papelbon said, ''The biggest thing for me will be getting loose quicker, being able to get warm quicker. I'm so used to being in a starter's warmup routine. But I think my arm is in good enough shape now that by the time the season starts, if I do go to the pen, I will be ready."

Manager Terry Francona was asked what Papelbon will have gotten out of starting this spring, if indeed he winds up relieving.

''Innings, and getting ready for the season," Francona said. ''He's not a young kid trying to make our staff. He's a young veteran. He's proven what he's worth to us."

Not only has Juan González failed to report to the Sox -- he was due in camp Tuesday -- but his agent, Alan Nero, said he's unaware of the two-time MVP's whereabouts.

''We're all concerned about Juan," said Nero, who represents González for CSMG Sports. ''We don't know what's in his head. It's sad. I'm worried about him. But you can't help a client you can't communicate with."

González, according to Nero, agreed to a minor league deal with the Sox the middle of last week and agreed to get to Fort Myers last Friday. González later asked if he could report Monday instead. He has been out of touch since.

Nero also said there was no validity to a report out of Puerto Rico yesterday indicating that González had signed with the A's.

''He committed to the Red Sox, he is under contract," Nero said.

Francona, a bench coach in Texas in 2002 when González was a Ranger, said he learned then that ''Juan has his moments. About three times that year it would be like the seventh inning. He'd be going up the runway. I'd say to [manager] Jerry Narron, 'You got a right fielder?' He'd say, 'Why?' I'd say, 'Well, Juan doesn't have his uniform on. I think he's done.' "

Asked his opinion of Manny Ramírez's spring to this point, Francona said, ''Outstanding. I would say stellar." Ramírez, who reported late March 1, is hitting .370 (10 for 27) with two homers and eight RBIs. He even volunteered to make the unenviable two-hour bus ride here yesterday. He wasn't on the original travel roster, ''but he wanted to play, he wanted to see some pitches under the lights," Francona said. ''So we gladly made the change." . . . Wily Mo Peña, three plate appearances into his Sox career, did what he will do often -- fanned -- and did so in dramatic fashion, losing the handle on his bat. The bat sailed into the stands and hit a fan, who was escorted up the aisle hunched over. The next at-bat, though, Peña smashed a home run to left . . . Josh Beckett is penciled in to start Sunday in Clearwater against the Phillies. David Wells, who's also scheduled to pitch Sunday, probably will do so in a minor league game . . . Though the Sox and Yankees both finished 95-67 last season, Dr. Charles Steinberg, the Sox' public relations guru, said there have been no internal discussions about raising a banner come Opening Day hailing the Sox as cochampions of the American League East . . . Curt Schilling isn't willing to face AL East opponents in the spring, but he evidently is willing to face an AL East opponent's affiliate. Schilling, as well as Keith Foulke, will pitch in a minor league game tomorrow at City of Palms Park vs. Ottawa, Baltimore's Triple A club . . . Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was struck in the face by a thrown ball before last night's game, fracturing his nose. He was to spend the night at a local hospital where his nose, according to the Yankees, would be ''realigned." . . . Mariano Rivera looked like himself last night. Working the sixth inning, he broke Peña's bat on a comebacker, popped up Dustan Mohr, and fanned Huckaby on a vintage cutter . . . Mike Timlin, who was held out of Team USA's elimination game against Mexico in the World Baseball Classic last week after revealing his arm felt fatigued, worked the sixth inning. He gave up two hits, including a run-scoring single to Robinson Canó . . . Adam Stern came a triple shy of the cycle for the second time in five days. Hitting leadoff, he singled in the first off Shawn Chacón, doubled in the fourth off Chacon, and homered off Kyle Farnsworth on a breaking ball in the ninth. The Rule 5 outfielder is hitting .385 (10 for 26) with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, and 5 RBIs . . . Greg Rybarczyk, inventor of Hit Tracker, a tool designed to closely approximate home run distances, collected the best data available for David Ortiz's mammoth homer in San Juan in the WBC. The video data wasn't ideal, but Rybarczyk said, ''I can definitely pin it as between 485 and 500 feet."