Mirabelli's offense takes off

Between Doug Mirabelli and Jason Varitek, the catcher spot in the Red Sox' offense had slid toward black-hole territory last season. And the same combination hadn't been producing any better this season, with Mirabelli entering last night's game against the Angels 0 for 4, and Varitek at .217, even with his three-hit outburst in Tuesday's home opener against Seattle.

But with two hits and two RBIs in last night's 10-1 victory -- including his first home run since last August -- Mirabelli might be showing signs of returning to the form he showed when he provided a bit of pop every fifth day in seasons past, say 2003-05. He sank to a sub-Mendoza-line .193 with Boston last season (and was even worse with the Padres, at .182).

"I felt lost at the plate a lot," Mirabelli said of 2006. "And I'm not saying that it's not still a work in progress. It still is. It's something that I'm going to have to work diligently at every day. Not that I didn't last year. It was just something that was very hard last year for me to get in the groove, and I never really did. I was disappointed in last year, and I'm sure the team was disappointed in how I performed.

"I know I'm a lot better than what I showed. But the fact is I didn't have a very good year."

He had a better night, starting the offense when he homered to lead off the fifth inning against Angels starter John Lackey, sending a ball into the Sox' bullpen, where it was caught by Mike Timlin. Mirabelli added a line single up the middle that scored J.D. Drew with the Sox' third run.

But even with the recent success of Mirabelli and Varitek, it doesn't mean concern should cease. Varitek just turned 35, and Mirabelli is 36. That's not exactly peak-performance time for catchers. Both still get high praise for their work behind the plate -- "His hands are so good, he gives me confidence when he's back there," Tim Wakefield said of Mirabelli last night -- but some offense would help as well, especially toward the bottom of the order.

Still, for Mirabelli and the team, last night was a time to forget about slumps.

"When a guy that's not playing every day gives you an offensive punch like that, he gives the whole team a lift," manager Terry Francona said.

David Ortiz and third base coach DeMarlo Hale have joined Coco Crisp as Red Sox who will be wearing No. 42 tomorrow in honor of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color line.

"If you look around, this game is what it is in today's day, and it's because you have athletes from everywhere in the planet," Ortiz said. "If you think about how things would have been just with one kind of athlete in the whole game, it would look funny in today's day, people knowing how many nationalities we have out there. So I think everybody is concerned about what Jackie did back in those days. I would say everybody should wear the No. 42. No doubt about it."

Drew extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single that dropped in front of left fielder Garret Anderson on a ball that looked catchable. Drew added a second hit in the eighth . . . Dustin Pedroia knocked Lackey out of the game with a sixth-inning single, breaking an 0-for-14 streak for the rookie second baseman. Pedroia later made an outstanding play, diving to his left in the eighth inning to rob Gary Matthews of a hit, and another on a fly to short right field to end the game . . . Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch from reliever Chris Bootcheck to lead off the seventh inning, sending the Sox first baseman dancing out of the batter's box in pain . . . With another three-hit game (plus two runs scored), Julio Lugo's average soared to .324 . . . Third baseman Mike Lowell's error was his fourth of the season in just nine games. He had six in 153 games last season . . . Righthander J.D. Durbin was claimed off waivers by the Phillies. Durbin had been designated for assignment by the Sox Tuesday after being claimed Monday off waivers from the Diamondbacks . . . The Sox will conduct their annual photo day tomorrow from 11:05-11:50 a.m. During that time, children will be allowed on the warning track, where they can take pictures of Sox players and coaches.

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.