Wells gives up seven runs in rehab start

PAWTUCKET, R.I. --David Wells was hit hard in a rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket, giving up seven runs and six hits in five innings Friday night.

"It is what it is, it's a bad night," said Wells, placed on the disabled list last Saturday -- retroactive to March 27. "No excuses."

The veteran left-hander, making his first appearance in the minors since 1994, gave up two solo homers and a pair of two-run doubles in Pawtucket's 9-1 loss to Indianapolis, the Pittsburgh Pirates' Triple-A club. Pitching on a damp night with a game-time temperature of 51 degrees, he walked three, hit a batter and struck out one while throwing 92 pitches -- 62 for strikes.

Asked what went wrong, the 42-year-old Wells, penciled in to start for Boston against Toronto at Fenway Park on Wednesday night, said: "Everything. Physically, I felt great, nothing like that, but just the conditions. I had no feel for the ball, at all.

"When you don't (have) that, you don't make the pitches, you fight yourself and basically the ball's down the middle, they know it. You can't throw a curveball or anything else, I just stuck to the changeup and fastball and you saw the results of that. I have to have all my pitches to be effective."

Wells, who said he expects to make his scheduled start Wednesday, threw 74 pitches in an extended spring effort last Sunday in Florida. He had the choice of pitching for Pawtucket or working in an A-Ball game down south, and chose to go north to get used to chillier conditions.

"I like pitching in cold weather," he said, noting it's tougher on the hitters to respond to the cold if he's getting the ball over the plate as he usually does.

Wells gave up home runs to Gookie Dawkins and Yurendell de Caster and two-run doubles by de Caster and Paulino.

After catcher Ronny Paulino ripped a two-run double up the gap in right-center field in the fifth, Wells heard the boos.

"Obviously, they were expecting a shutout, but, sorry, my bad," he said.

This was all about getting work -- and not having any trouble with his surgically repaired right knee.

Wells, who asked the Red Sox to trade him over the winter to a West Coast team, was against going on the DL, but seemed pleased to get his work in to get ready for his first major league start of the season.