Gabbard's number is called

It's a squeeze play for the Red Sox as Julio Lugo is embraced by David Ortiz following his first-inning home run in the opener. (BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF)

Last night was the first time the Red Sox have had to use a starting pitcher other than the five who began the season in the rotation: Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, and Julian Tavarez.

Devern Hansack lasted just four innings, took the loss in a 14-0 defeat to the Braves , and was returned to Pawtucket after the game. This afternoon, rookie Kason Gabbard takes a turn, the need for another starting pitcher created by two day-night doubleheaders in three days and Beckett's finger injury, which placed him on the 15-day disabled list yesterday (retroactive to last Monday).

The pitching matchups for the series at Yankee Stadium are set: Wakefield vs. Chien-Ming Wang tomorrow night, Tavarez vs. Mike Mussina Tuesday, and Schilling vs. Andy Pettitte Wednesday.

The Yankees will be using their 11th starting pitcher of the season this afternoon when rookie Tyler Clippard faces the Mets. In seven games (four starts) for the Sox last season, Gabbard was 1-3 with a 3.51 ERA. He was 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA in eight starts this season for the PawSox.

"We saw a lot of good innings from him last year," manager Terry Francona said of Gabbard. "He keeps his fastball down, and his changeup and breaking ball are improving as he's pitching consistent innings. I hope he gives us eight good innings.

"He's throwing pretty well. We know he'll compete. He won't be scared."

Hansack declined comment after last night's game. Chipper Jones took him deep in the first inning with his 12th home run and 369th of his career, just two shy of the Atlanta record of 371 held by Dale Murphy.

"He elevated some fastballs early to some big, strong hitters, gave them a chance to extend their arms and paid a price for it," Francona said.

Mike Lowell's four-hit game in the opener was the fifth by a Red Sox player this season, all in a 16-day span.

Wily Mo Peña had four hits May 3 here against Seattle, Jason Varitek had four against the Blue Jays in Toronto May 8, David Ortiz had four against the Blue Jays the next night, and Julio Lugo had four against the Orioles here last Saturday.

Lowell doubled in the third, hit a grand slam in the fifth, singled in the sixth, and singled again in the seventh, which means he has yet to hit for the cycle in his big league career.

"I hit for the cycle once in the minor leagues," Lowell said. "The triple is always the tough one for me. I think I need a collision in center field, a couple of medics out there. I might go in head-first.

"But I'll take four hits. Trust me. I don't care if it's four bloopers over the first baseman."

The last Sox player to hit for the cycle remains John Valentin, who did so June 6, 1996, here against the Chicago White Sox.

The most amazing pitch yesterday? How about the one made by Doris Kahn, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the matinee. Ms. Kahn is closing in on her 101st birthday.

She came to Boston on the Lusitania, arriving from Liverpool in 1909, and remembers the Sox winning the 1918 World Series. That's impressive, but no more so than this: She's still working. She's in the accounting department of Riemer and Braunstein, a Boston law firm, where she has worked for 37 years. Her younger sister, 96, lives on the Cape. The family roster: 14 nephews and nieces, 23 grand-, 27 great-grand, and 2 great-great-grand nephews/nieces, most of whom reside in New England.

Jon Lester retired the last 10 batters he faced in his rehab start last night for Pawtucket in Ottawa. Lester, who was on a pitch count, threw 48 pitches. He went 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and a walk with two strikeouts. Lester has not been optioned to Pawtucket; he's on another 30-day rehab assigment. He opened the season on the 15-day DL while continuing to recover from a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The lefthander was on rehab assignment from April 5-May 2, posting a 2.08 ERA (3 ER/13 IP) in three starts at Single A Greenville and going 0-1, 2.25 (2 ER/8 IP) in two starts at Pawtucket. He experienced muscle cramping in his left forearm in his final outing May 2 vs. Indianapolis and was recalled from the rehab assignment, remaining on the DL . . . Former Sox shortstop Edgar Renteria had three hits in the first game. When he was with the Sox in 2005, it took him until Aug. 4 before he had a three-hit game in Fenway. He had 13 three-hit games in all that season, all but three on the road. Renteria went hitless in the nightcap.

There were not one, but two basket catches, a la Willie Mays, in the first game. Coco Crisp made the first one, running down Scott Thorman's drive into the right-center triangle in the fifth. Andruw Jones an inning later caught up with Varitek's drive in the same vicinity, but he didn't have as far to go. "If you watch Coco in batting practice, he does that a lot," Lowell said. "That's not an out-of-the-ordinary play for him. If you're running like that and stick your hand up, you often stick your hand in front of your face. He gets such good breaks on the ball, he actually had to slow down for that. As long as he makes the catch, I don't care if he catches it behind his back." . . . Lugo's first-inning home run in the opener was the eighth time in his career he has led off with a homer, his first for the Sox . . . Kevin Youkilis's hitting streak reached a career-best 12 games when he hit his fifth home run, in the second inning of the first game . . . The Sox' Single A franchise in the California League, Lancaster, was beaten, 30-0, Friday night by Lake Elsinore. Worst pitching line of the night for Lancaster, which gave up 28 hits, belonged to Mario Pena: 1 2/3 IP, 8 H, 11 ER, 3 BB. The Jethawks had a major scare in the eighth inning when outfielders Yahmed Yema and Bubba Bell collided while pursuing a fly ball. Bell was taken away in an ambulance, but the report is a bruised abdomen, and he's day to day . . . Andruw Jones was a late scratch for the second game, apparently because of a sore back . . . Youkilis and J.D. Drew did not play last night as Francona tried to find a way to rest some players in this stretch of three games in a little more than 24 hours, and back-to-back day-night doubleheaders (with a rain day in between). Lowell is scheduled to sit today, and either Manny Ramírez or Ortiz might also be in line for a breather . . . Rita Francoeur, the grandmother of Braves' outfielder Jeff Francoeur, was among a large contingent from Springfield to attend the doubleheader. Francoeur's grandfather, Conrad, died last year, but before he did, the family took him to Atlanta to see his grandson play. Francoeur hit a walkoff grand slam on that occasion; yesterday he hit his seventh home run, off Matsuzaka. Francoeur's father, David, grew up in Springfield.