After bad day, it's all good for Pena

Make that Bronson Arroyo 2, Wily Mo Peña 1.

Who knew when the Red Sox traded Arroyo to the Cincinnati Reds for strongman Peña, a Bunyanesque power hitter whose chisled 6-foot-3-inch, 245-pound frame would make a perfect fit in Foxborough in Bill Belichick's 3-4 defense, that the wiry righthander with braided locks and gilded voice would wield a bigger stick and outhomer Peña, 2-0, through seven games?

Who knew Arroyo would be missed more for his bat than his arm?

Last night, Peña tried his best to make everyone forget about Arroyo -- and about Peña's fielding gaffe in Boston's home opener Tuesday afternoon that resulted in a two-run homer -- when he went 2 for 3 and recorded his first homer in a Sox uniform. Peña's low-trajectory rocket that rattled around the NESN camera position in straightaway center in the sixth inning proved to be the last salvo in Boston's 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

''I can't be too happy because we lost the game," Peña said. ''But I got my first home run and I'm happy about that, because now I'm [going to feel] loose about everything."

Red Sox Nation bemoaned Peña's fielding miscue when he rear-ended the fence in right and allowed Frank Catalanotto's warning-track shot to trickle out of his glove and into the visitors' bullpen for a two-run homer in the eighth inning of Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the Blue Jays.

''Like yesterday wasn't so positive, but today was a new day and I just have to do what I have to do," Peña said.

When Peña jogged out to right field after clobbering his first Sox homer, the Fenway Faithful embraced him with warm applause. Peña's pulse quickened. ''My heart went beep-beep," he said.

After high-fiving a teammate, Peña said, ''I think they're going to like me here."

Before the game, however, it was clearly not the case on the airwaves, where Peña was savaged on sports talk radio for his poor fielding and his 0-for-2 performance at the plate. He flied out to deep center in the fifth Tuesday after relieving Trot Nixon (groin pull) in the fourth; and he struck out swinging in the seventh.

''The people on the radio were saying a lot of bad things about Mo," said David Ortiz, who was clearly wounded by the venomous remarks that were aimed at his young Dominican protégé. ''People from the radio, I don't think they ever come to the field and know, or realize, what this game is all about. He's a young kid trying to do well, you know?

''People were talking bad about him and I didn't think it was fair."

Asked what was said about Peña that rankled him most, Ortiz said, ''Bad things, bad things. I don't need to repeat it, but it was just because of the play that happened in [Tuesday's] game. I don't think it's fair, you know? The guy got caught on the fence, and there's not much you can do about it. But I'll tell you one thing, there's a superstar right behind that kid. I'm pretty sure he's going to have a year."

Peña gave a glimpse of his awesome power in his first at-bat last night when he hit a heat-seeking missile that just flew foul of the Fisk Pole in left. Peña, however, came back and put together a nice at-bat, reaching on an opposite-field single to right.

''I knew he was going to come with a backdoor slider and I just hit it the other way, so I just tried to make an adjustment there," Peña said.

Asked if he felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Peña said, ''Now I'm more relaxed because I played the whole game. You get more comfortable at the plate when you get to see more pitches. You could see I took a walk [his second time up in the fourth] and I don't do that much.

''When they put me in there, I just want to swing, swing, but I just have to be like tonight and be patient there and wait for my pitch."

Peña waited out reliever Pete Walker and deposited his 1-and-1 offering deep into center field. While Peña, new to the nooks and crannies of Fenway Park, never thought it had a chance of leaving the premises, Ortiz never had a doubt. ''Oh, yeah, he crushed that ball," Ortiz said. ''He's a big, strong boy."

Bigger than Big Papi? ''Oh, definitely, he is. He doubles me up."

When it comes to homers, though, Peña is still waiting to match the man he was traded for.

''He's got two, so we have to be there," Peña said of Arroyo's home run numbers.

''I just have to be ready and keep going."