Hits keep on coming for Drew

He's plunked on hand, but X-rays are negative

FORT MYERS, Fla. - There was danger in the batter's box yesterday, especially with Pittsburgh's Donnie Veal on the mound. Not only did David Ortiz get dropped by a pitch, so too did Jason Bay. And J.D. Drew got plunked on the right hand under the pinkie, near the wrist. Drew was removed from the game and sent to get X-rays, which proved negative. The right fielder was diagnosed with a contusion.

"The way he talked and his actions were that it hurt," said bench coach Brad Mills, who managed in Terry Francona's absence yesterday. "We were taking him out of the game anyway after that at-bat. He just expressed he wasn't real thrilled with getting hit, and that it kind of hurt, and that was all."

Drew already has had an injection in the facet joint in his back March 2. That came after Drew acknowledged experienced back stiffness over the offseason, usually after long periods of inactivity. Drew played in just two regular-season games after Aug. 17 last season because of back pain from a herniated disk, though he did play in the postseason.

Before getting hit by the pitch yesterday, Drew had drawn a pair of walks and scored.

This spring, in which he has missed only a couple of days after he got the injection, Drew is batting .200 with four hits in 20 at-bats with a double. He has walked six times and struck out eight times.

But Drew wasn't the only casualty of the fifth spot in the batting order yesterday. Minor league outfielder Bubba Bell replaced Drew and got hit on the outside of his right foot by a pitch. Bell also was taken for X-rays, which were negative. He left the park on crutches with his foot wrapped.

The big swing came back easily for Dustin Pedroia. Even after Pedroia tried "swinging softly a little bit" to get Jacoby Ellsbury in from third base in his first at-bat yesterday, his first since straining his lower left abdominal muscle, his second at-bat brought a far more characteristic swing.

"The biggest thing [was] in my last at-bat I definitely wanted to swing hard," Pedroia said. "I swing hard all the time, so I wanted to make sure everything was fine."

Or, as Mills said, "We all saw that, those big swings. Didn't really need to cringe because if he felt he could swing like that, he must be feeling pretty good."

He was, at least yesterday afternoon. After the two planned at-bats, including a single to third base in his final plate appearance, Pedroia was removed from the game. The plan is to leave him behind when the team travels to Jupiter, Fla., today, then have him play again tomorrow at City of Palms Park. While defense has not been a problem for Pedroia, it was at the plate where he needed to see how his body would react.

The Sox did not consider playing Pedroia at designated hitter because Thursday's game and today's game will be played without the DH in National League parks, which would give Ortiz too many consecutive days off.

"It felt good," Pedroia said. "I think the biggest thing is to see how it feels [today]. Hopefully I'm not sore or anything like that. Definitely want to take it slow . . . It was good to get back on the field and get a couple at-bats and get back in the game rhythm, but [today's] probably the biggest day."

Pedroia did say he regrets not being able to participate in tomorrow's World Baseball Classic semifinal against Japan in which Daisuke Matsuzaka is the likely starter. Pedroia called his teammate "lucky" that the second baseman wouldn't be there to hit off of him.

"I wish I was there to be a part of it with those guys," Pedroia said. "It was an unbelievable experience getting a chance to play with all those guys. I'll definitely be rooting hard for them. I'll shoot them a text message, a little motivational speech for them. I'll get them going."

In response to a recent Minneapolis Star-Tribune blog item, Jonathan Papelbon said his shoulder was "fine," and that he has had no injury concerns this spring. The report said, "A National League scout who's recently seen Jonathan Papelbon pitch expressed concern that the Red Sox closer is battling a shoulder problem."

When asked about whether his velocity might be down, Papelbon said, "It's that time in the spring. The only way to get stronger is to work yourself. You're not going to get any stronger if you don't work yourself to fatigue."

Regarding the item, Papelbon said, "That's interesting. Maybe that scout should move on to something bigger and better that he knows a little bit more about."

But Papelbon has struggled in his last three outings, including giving up two runs on three hits and a walk in yesterday's 11-4 win over the Pirates. He also struck out three. That comes after outings in which he gave up single runs to Minnesota and Baltimore. Still, pitching coach John Farrell said Papelbon has been between 93 and 95 miles per hour all spring, and that "there is nothing as far as that [report] is concerned."

"I thought he threw the ball well. Granted the three hits and the two runs aren't the outcome that certainly he's looking for or what we typically will see, but I know that right now he is very much in the mind-frame of getting ready for the season, getting his work in," Farrell said. "There's a totally different adrenaline rush pitching in the fifth and sixth inning as it is in the ninth.

"So there are no concerns when it comes to that. You look at the shape of his pitches, you see the velocity just to measure arm strength, which are all consistent. I thought his slider this spring has come along very well. There's depth to his split."

Farrell added that Papelbon has been working on certain parts of his pitching, including different tempos in his delivery, especially with a slide step, and a quickening leg kick.

Kevin Youkilis's left foot was still "a little sensitive to the touch" yesterday, according to Mills. Youkilis will remain in a boot until the tenderness subsides . . . John Smoltz is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session of his Red Sox tenure Wednesday . . . Francona was in Quantico, Va., yesterday to attend the graduation of his son, Nick, from the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. Mills took over managing duties for the day with Francona expected back today. Mills is 6-5 in regular-season games when filling in as the Sox manager. "That's a pretty cool setup that Nick has gone through," Mills said. "That's a pretty hard few weeks that he's gone through. So, it's cool. I'm excited for him. Any time our kids accomplish something like that, that's nice." . . . Jason Varitek hit a three-run home run from the left side off Pirates starter Jeff Karstens . . . Clay Buchholz started and went five innings. The righthander allowed one unearned run on four hits and a walk. He also struck out three . . . In an only-in-spring-training occurrence, two Pirates batters hit back-to-back with the same number. Brandon Moss and Jeremy Farrell both wore No. 44. And yes, Jeremy is the son of the Sox pitching coach. It was actually a surprise when Farrell saw his son in the opposing dugout. Though Jeremy had told his mother he would be on the travel roster, there were strict instructions that John was not to know, even though he hadn't seen his son play for about three years. Jeremy, who is likely to start in low Single A, played third base and flied to right in his only at-bat. "There's certainly an internal emotion that starts to run through you when you see them either on the field or particularly in the box," John Farrell said. "It's pride, there's so many memories that start to flash in front of your mind, particularly the first time you see him. It is an emotional rush to see him in that moment."

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