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PHILADELPHIA -- This is the only way it could end, right?

Jonathan Papelbon, who shipped out of Boston, facing his former teammates for the last three outs?

"I've been looking forward to this series since the day I signed here," Papelbon said before Friday's game.

"Facing old teammates, bragging rights," he said. "It's like you play with your brother in the backyard for so many years, you want those bragging rights. I don't want to have to hear it from [Dustin] Pedroia, somebody like that, text messages. I want to be giving it to him. It'll be fun."

Papelbon had hoped for a piece of David Ortiz, but he grounded out as a pinch hitter to end the eighth.

Instead, the scheduled hitters were Kelly Shoppach, Daniel Nava and Marlon Byrd, none of whom Papelbon had played with in his final season in Boston.

There would be no Dropkick Murphys. The entrance music was Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

But the rest of the shtick remained the same. The hat pulled down over his eyes, the long lean forward, the penetrating stare.

Shoppach reached on what was scored an infield hit to open the inning, then Papelbon retired Nava on a tapper to first.

And then the night took an added dramatic turn, when Byrd was called out on an eyelash-close play at first, bringing Bobby Valentine scurrying out of the dugout to differ. Valentine got his money's worth out of the argument, hopping into the air to re-enact how Phillies first baseman Ty Wigginton had come up on the throw, before umpire Gary Darling, who towered over the Sox manager, finally had enough and tossed Valentine.

It was Valentine's first ejection as Sox manager and 38th of his career, and came with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel watching from an upstairs box, having been suspended a game for an argument that had gotten out of hand.

Papelbon struck out Nick Punto to end it for his 12th save and a 6-4 Phillies win.

The flip side of the finish was the start. Daniel Bard, who even Papelbon thought would be his successor as Sox closer, had a troubling start, spotting the Phillies four runs in the first after he walked the bases loaded. Bard walked five and hit a batter in five innings, has walked at least four in each of his past three starts, and has walked 24 in just 42 2/3 innings, an unacceptable number.

The Sox wasted a home run by Cody Ross (his eighth of the season), one by Adrian Gonzalez (his first in 110 at-bats) and another by Mike Aviles (his sixth of the year).

BOSTON -- It's too early in the offseason for the Boston Red Sox to start considering the status of free agents David Ortiz and Jonathan Papelbon.

Both were major contributors for the Sox this season and both will be looking for multiyear contracts at big bucks. Whether they remain with the club remains to be seen, but general manager Theo Epstein said during the team's postmortem news conference that he would like to have both back in 2012.

"I can't say too much about that now except the general and the obvious that we'd love to have both guys back if there's a way to do that," Epstein said. "They've been huge contributors here, not only on the field but as leaders."

Ortiz was consistent all season and finished with a .309 average, 29 homers and 96 RBIs in 146 games. The team's designated hitter will turn 36 on Nov. 18 and he has made it no secret he wants a long-term contract with Boston. He made $12.5 million in 2011 after the club exercised its option last winter.

"I think David's been (a leader) for a long time. He's been the face of the franchise and instrumental figure in our clubhouse," Epstein said.

Papelbon picked up 31 saves this season and became the first pitcher ever to record 30-plus saves in his first six full seasons in the big leagues. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, he'll be remembered for his blown save and loss in Wednesday's final game of the season against the Baltimore Orioles.

Papelbon said following that loss that he wouldn't let that moment define his season or his career. When asked if he wanted to remain with the Red Sox, he said that would take care of itself during the offseason.

Before Papelbon left Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon he spoke with Epstein.

"I actually told Pap earlier today that he took his overall game to a new level this year, not just on the field, but he demonstrated leadership capabilities," Epstein said. "There was a time earlier in his career where I never thought I would say that about Pap, but he really matured. He grew up a Red Sox and I was proud with the way he took that next step to lead by example. We'd love to keep both guys if we could."

BOSTON -- With a postseason berth at stake, Red Sox manager Terry Francona isn’t about to take any chances.

For only the second time this season, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was called upon to register a possible five-out save when reliever Daniel Bard, who had pitched a perfect seventh inning, was removed with one out in the top of the eighth after allowing a pair of singles.

Papelbon struck out the first batter he faced before the Orioles’ Nolan Reimold singled to load the bases. Robert Andino then provided a three-run double as the Orioles posted a come-from-behind victory and beat the Red Sox 7-5 on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

“Unacceptable,” Papelbon said. “The way I’ve been throwing the ball, I’ve got to go out there and execute. I didn’t do that, and by me not going out there and executing 0-2 pitches, I let my team down. I’ll shoulder that and take full responsibility, and I’ll be ready to go tomorrow. It’s plain and simple.”

Francona explained his decision to bring Papelbon in early.

“We went to him early, and we told these guys we probably would,” Francona said. “I think we got far enough where we wanted to have Pap pitch to the lefty [Chris Davis] and we wanted to piece it together. It didn’t work.”

Papelbon said it doesn’t matter when he’s handed the ball during the course of the game; he needs to deliver.

“I welcome that,” he said. “This is the time of year where Tito, the coaching staff and everybody in this clubhouse is going to need to lean on guys, and I’m one of those guys. I didn’t come through tonight. This one is on me. I’ve got to learn from it, put it behind me, forget about it and come back tomorrow ready.”

Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said Papelbon had his usual life on his fastball, and when he got ahead of Reimold 0-and-2, Boston’s closer tried to go fastball but couldn’t execute the pitch where he wanted.

Papelbon has been automatic this season. He entered the game with 30 saves and a 4-0 record, having converted 30 of 31 chances this season. So one blown save, even at this time of the season, isn't going to shake his teammates' confidence in him.

“Anytime Pap comes in the game, I don’t expect anything less,” Saltalamacchia said. “There’s not one guy who is more prepared than him. He’s a guy who wants the ball and is a competitor. Everybody, including myself, felt good about him being in there.”

Since the Tampa Bay Rays lost to the New York Yankees, Boston’s lead in the American League wild-card race remains at two games.

The Red Sox’s struggles continue this month, with their record in September now 5-15 with only seven games remaining in the regular season.

Before the eighth-inning implosion, the Red Sox held a 5-4 lead thanks in part to Adrian Gonzalez, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including a two-run homer.

Red Sox starter Erik Bedard lasted only 2 2/3 innings and allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out none.

The left-hander wasn’t helped when right fielder Josh Reddick committed a two-out error in the top of the third, which ended with Baltimore holding a 4-1 advantage. That miscue proved costly as Bedard threw 51 pitches in the inning.

“I just misread it,” Reddick said. “I came in, and he hit it harder than I thought he did. I jumped a little too late, and it caught the end of my glove. It was a bad read.

“It’s the worst feeling ever, knowing that you made your starting pitcher work a lot harder than he should have, and I should have caught that ball to end the inning, especially losing the lead like we did. There’s no worse feeling. It’s somewhere you don’t want to be.”

Bedard has been hampered by knee and lat injuries and hadn’t pitched since Sept. 3, but he insisted he’s healthy. With one word he described that four-run third. “Long,” he said.

“I just tried to battle and limit the damage,” Bedard said. “It happens. People make errors. It’s part of the game, and you try to limit the damage.”

He’s scheduled to start again either Sunday against the Yankees or Monday at Baltimore.

Boston needs Wednesday’s starter, Josh Beckett (13-5, 2.50 ERA), to stop the bleeding once again. The Orioles will have righty Tommy Hunter (4-4, 4.81 ERA) on the mound.

“There’s no reason for us to sit here and say the walls are crumbling down and it’s time to start panicking,” Papelbon said. “That’s not going to happen in this clubhouse. Every single person in this clubhouse has been through adversity. Adversity, in times like this, is what will make us better. Period. Point blank.”

BOSTON -- This was the other day, and Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was talking about how happy he was that the Patriots had signed Chad Ochocinco.

Papelbon, of course, went through a stage where he enjoyed calling himself CincoOcho, since he wears No. 58, the reverse of Ochocinco's 85. But he then said that wasn't his only alter ego.

"There's Paps, Cinco-Ocho, and Jon-Bob,'' Papelbon said.

Jon-Bob?

"You don't know Jon-Bob,'' he said. "You're not in the clubhouse the times Jon-Bob comes out. You've only met Paps and Cinco-Ocho.''

Papelbon refused to reveal any details of Jon-Bob's personality.

"All I know is that my favorite NFL player is going to be in the same city as mine, and he's going first if I get the first pick in the Sox fantasy football league. If I do, then it's over. It's over.''

BOSTON -- Red Sox pitcher John Lackey can thank his offense and bullpen for his first victory of the 2011 season.

The right-hander allowed six runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts over five innings, but Boston’s offense carried the load and its bullpen put up a bunch of zeros en route to a 9-6 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday afternoon at Fenway Park.

“He certainly didn’t locate like he needs to,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Lackey. “A lot of his pitches didn’t look like he finished them; he left them in the middle. Against that lineup, you’ve got to make them earn everything they get because they’re that good, anyway. Fortunately, we swung the bats well enough and our bullpen held on.”

Alfredo Aceves, Bobby Jenks, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon kept the Yankees at bay after Lackey exited.

“Lack did a phenomenal job,” said Papelbon. “He went out there and had some situations to get out of and he did it. He stood in there and fought as long as he could to get to us in the bullpen. We take pride in holding those games for our starters.”

Lackey admitted after the win that it wasn’t his best outing.

“Today, I obviously didn’t pitch very well,” he said. “I hung in there long enough, I guess.”

Francona mentioned that it was good to see Lackey fight through his struggles and at least get through five innings because if the manager needed to go to his bullpen sooner, the outcome could have been different.

Lackey didn’t see it that way.

“I don’t set my goals that low,” he said of finishing only five innings. “I definitely want to do better than that. The guys swung the bat great and the bullpen was tremendous. We won the game, so it worked out. It wasn’t pretty, but it’s closer.”

BOSTON -- Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon believes he’s at his best when the game is on the line.

He really hasn’t had an opportunity to perform his duties in the early part of this season because of the Sox’s struggles, but the hard-throwing right-hander was back on center stage in the team’s home opener against the New York Yankees on Friday afternoon at Fenway Park.

With the Sox clinging to a 9-6 lead, Papelbon recorded his first save of the season when he retired the side in order, striking out both Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter before getting Mark Teixeira to fly out to center field to end the game and secure Boston’s first victory of 2011.

“The way the ball is coming out of my hand is the way it was coming out in '06 and '07,” Papelbon said. “I need to keep doing my work in order to maintain that.”

Prior to his outing on Friday against the Yankees, Papelbon had worked in only one of the previous six games. He allowed one run on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts against the Texas Rangers on April 3.

“For me, it’s been tough to get my work in,” Papelbon said. “As a closer, you always want to get a steady amount of work in, and that’s been hard for me the past six games. I knew this series would be big and I had to stay ready.”

Papelbon was efficient Friday and able to throw all three of his pitches with conviction and success against the three potentially potent Yankee hitters he faced.

“I felt good; I felt like I was throwing the ball downhill,” he said. “The ball is coming out of my hand the way it should be right now. I’m going to try to maintain that and do the work possible to maintain that throughout the season.”

For the first time this season, the Red Sox witnessed the possibilities when Bobby Jenks, Daniel Bard and Papelbon work together in a game.

“That’s the reason they brought Jenks here,” Papelbon said. “As a bullpen, we feel like if you can get the ball to us in the late innings of a game, we should be able to hold it.”

After starter John Lackey surrendered six runs on seven hits with two walks, a wild pitch and a hit batsman, he still earned the victory thanks to his offense and bullpen.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, they began this three-game set against the Yankees with a much-needed victory. As much as Papelbon was thrilled to finally work a meaningful game, the team win was much bigger.

“The biggest thing for us is getting that so-called monkey off our back,” Papelbon said. “We can move on to the next game and start playing our game.”

BOSTON -- And on the seventh day, the nation exhaled.

Dustin Pedroia promised the Sox weren’t going to go 0-162 and then performed the anatomically impossible feat of placing the rest of the team on his size-XS shoulders. Pedroia homered in the first, ripping his elbow pad off as he circled the bases; delivered a two-run single in Boston’s five-run second; made a daring slide home in the same inning; and generally electrified the joint. Whatever Kelly Pedroia told her husband when he returned home Thursday night (he had predicted she’d greet him with “You’re 0-6. You stink’’), let’s hope she stays on message.

This was the third consecutive home opener in which Pedroia has gone deep, BTW.

Welcome mat extended, no strings attached: It helped that one prospective candidate was eliminated when Dennys Reyes was designated for assignment before the game, replaced by rookie Felix Doubront, but the crowd of 37,178 didn’t target anyone for boos during pregame introductions. Cheers may have been more muted than if the team had opened 6-0, but applause greeted players across the board, with the old folks --Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield and 91-year-old Johnny Pesky --getting the warmest receptions.

Out of left field -- one with honor, one without: Carl Yastrzemski threw out the first ball, a thunderous ovation greeting him when he emerged out of the left-field wall. Then, around about the seventh inning, came the news that Manny Ramirez, who is remembered for going inside the left-field wall during a game, had retired after being informed by MLB that he had an “issue” related to the game’s drug-prevention policy. Shortly thereafter, various news outlets reported that Manny had tested positive for another PED during spring training, and rather than face a possible 100-game suspension as a two-time offender, he informed MLB he was quitting.

Perfect 'penmanship: The back end of the Sox bullpen -- Bobby Jenks, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon -- performed just the way the Sox scripted it in the offseason. Jenks pitched a scoreless seventh (a walk and a whiff), Bard pitched a 1-2-3 eighth (one whiff) and Papelbon recorded his first save with two strikeouts and a fly ball to short center, touching off an October-worthy celebration in the stands.

He was credited with WHAT?: Yup, John Lackey was credited with the win, even though he gave up six runs in five innings and was whacked for six extra-base hits, including a home run by Alex Rodriguez. His ERA did drop, though, from 22.09 to 15.58, so we suppose that’s progress.

Shafting the shift: Adrian Gonzalez said in Cleveland that he welcomed teams overshifting him and put on a clinic that explained why Friday afternoon, shooting an RBI single through the vacant shortstop spot in the second inning and dropping a bunt single to open the seventh, touching off a two-run rally.

Leading off, but not leading man: Carl Crawford batted leadoff for the first time since he hit No. 1 in the first seven games of the 2007 season and went hitless in five trips. Don’t see him volunteering to stay in that spot long. He always has said he thought he “stank” in that spot. He did make a couple of nice catches, though.

And the new HD scoreboards are terrific ...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- As the Sox count down their final days this spring in Florida, and the last games in which they'll be the home team in City of Palms Park, here are 10 takeaways from Tuesday:

* First baseman Adrian Gonzalez's agent, John Boggs, had lunch with his client, then met with GM Theo Epstein, saying afterward that all systems are go for an April agreement on a contract extension for the first baseman.

* Closer Jonathan Papelbon, who has been knocked around a bit in his last two outings, threw a shadow session in the bullpen under the watchful eye of pitching coach Curt Young and couldn't have been happier with the results.

"I wanted him to see my delivery and what I want to start feeling as we break camp and going forward into the season, so it was good, man,'' Papelbon said. "He knew exactly what I was talking about. It was good.''

* Outfielder J.D. Drew came out of the game after going first-to-third on a third-inning base hit by Jason Varitek. After arriving at the bag, he stayed head down, hands on knees, for some time. He finished the inning, but was replaced in the top of the fourth by Ryan Kalish. Hamstring issues? No, Drew has been feeling "under the weather" the last couple of days, manager Terry Francona said.

* First-base coach Ron Johnson had a joyous reunion before the game with his wife, Daphane, and daughter Bridget, who was wearing a big smile and her new prosthetic leg. A number of Sox coaches and players, including David Ortiz and Varitek, came out to visit with Bridget, who has made a remarkable recovery after being struck by an automobile while riding her horse near her home in Tennessee.

* Reliever Bobby Jenks has gone six appearances this spring without allowing a run, pitching a scoreless inning (one hit, one walk) in Boston's 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. "His stuff has been sharp all spring,'' Francona said. "We were told he was a notoriously late bloomer in spring, but we've been really impressed.''

* Outfielder Darnell McDonald, who jammed his surgically repaired right thumb Monday in Clearwater, was better Tuesday and could have played, Francona said. The team has a day off Wednesday, and McDonald is not on the list of players scheduled to travel to Jupiter to face the Marlins on Thursday.

* Gonzalez is going to skip the day off Wednesday and serve as DH at the minor-league complex. He'll take as many at-bats as he wants, said Francona, who like his player will bag the day off in order to watch.

* Phillies fans more loyal than Sox fans? Bite your tongue. But that's the contention of Maury Brown, who covers the business of baseball and lays out his case here.

* John Lackey got hit around Tuesday -- six hits, including two home runs, while giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings -- but that didn't mean a negative review from Francona, who is happy to see Lackey nearing the end of spring healthy and stronger than he was last spring, when he erred on the side of caution in making sure he didn't start the season on the DL, as he had the previous two seasons. "I thought he followed the glove pretty well,'' Francona said, neglecting to mention that Lackey also did a good job hitting a few bats. "I thought his stuff was pretty crisp.''

* The Sox are on the road Monday (Dunedin) and break camp Tuesday, leaving for Houston, but Francona would not commit to when the Sox intend to finalize their Opening Day roster. A couple of bullpen jobs remain open, and the manager insisted he has yet to make up his mind. He did say that he, Epstein and Young will huddle soon to review their options. No later than Sunday would seem to be a logical timeframe to pare down, but Francona would not rule out waiting until the exhibition game in Houston before making a final decision.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon worked one perfect inning in his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium.

It was a brief six-pitch outing but the right-hander was satisfied with his performance.

“I felt as locked in as I probably will all spring, and hopefully I’ll be able to continue that for the rest of the spring and into the season.”

Papelbon should make eight to 10 appearances this spring while he prepares for the regular season.

“It’s such a fine line,” he said of his spring training preparation. “When you go out there you try to compete and you lay it on the line no matter if it’s a spring training game or not.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. -– It was a lively clubhouse atmosphere this morning at the player development complex.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia declared that he’s letting his hair grow because in 10 years he’s going to be a body builder. After he was done strutting around the clubhouse, he got into his serious mode and pulled aside prospect Jose Iglesias for some hitting tips. It’s clear Pedroia is opening the lines of communication with his future double-play partner.

On the other side of the room, Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon tied the laces of his turf shoes together and tossed them over the light fixtures in the ceiling of the clubhouse. Folklore has it that it’s a sign of good luck. According to Wikipedia, it can also be a gang sign, or that a man just lost his virginity.

There’s been a lot of talk the last couple of days about who will be the Opening Day starter for the Red Sox. When asked about it this morning, Jon Lester said it’s no big deal. The southpaw added it’s an honor to start that game, but in the big picture it really doesn’t matter.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon was in camp today, but he did not participate in any drills due to battling the flu.

He was allowed an excused absence on Sunday to stay home and take care of his wife, who had the bug, and now he’s got it.

“His wife was real sick, and he ended up attending to her,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “[Monday] was his big day because it was his side day and he got through it. He came out today and we kept him inside for the majority of the day. He was really feeling it.”

Boston’s closer tossed 20 pitches during a live BP session on Monday.

"To bring him out here today probably would have been a mistake," Francona said.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- After an excused absence on Sunday, Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon is back at camp this morning. The flu bug is running rampant through his family and he was exhausted when he arrived today.

He’s already talked this spring about expectations for himself and the rest of the team, but even in a normal conversation, he’ll elaborate how motivated he is heading into the 2011 season.

“I’m probably more motivated than I have ever been,” he said. “My situation speaks for itself, so I’m more motivated than any other year.”

Papelbon will be a free agent at the end of this season, and no doubt he’ll be looking for a major payday from either the Red Sox or another organization.

As far as the rest of the bullpen, the Sox closer is pumped for the upcoming season.

“We have to find our identity and that’ll be our key. If we can do that, we can come out of the gates strong,” he said.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Jonathan Papelbon missed Sunday's workout to tend to a personal matter.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told the Boston Globe it was an "excused absence" but did not elaborate.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek held court for more than 20 minutes this afternoon, talking about his career, his role, his fellow catchers and his future.

The captain returns for his 14th full season with the Red Sox and says his body feels the best it has in a few years. His reduced playing time the last couple of seasons is the main reason for his health, and he was able to begin his offseason workouts sooner than usual.

During Sunday’s live batting practice session, Varitek caught veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. The plan is for the pair to work together during camp.

Varitek is impressed with fellow catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

“He’s extremely talented,” Varitek said. “I don’t know if I had those abilities he has when I was that young and broke in. His work ethic and the things he has displayed is why we’ve had an easy bond right away.”

Varitek addressed how important the starting rotation will be this season, especially the way the bullpen is set up.

“Our focal point is getting our starting pitching on track and good because if we’re able to do that, we’ve got a chance to have a really good bullpen. Our starting staff has to be better than we were last year.”

A key part of that rotation will be the continued success and development of right-hander Clay Buchholz.

“He’s had the stuff since the first day he got called up,” Varitek said. “He’s gone through good, bad, indifferent and he’s learned himself. He and [Jon] Lester are still not as good as they’re going to be, but they’re real good where they’re at.”

Varitek also talked about the importance of closer Jonathan Papelbon.

“We have a tendency to overlook how much he did for us earlier in the year [last season]. We asked him to come into the eighth inning, and then pitch the ninth in April and May. He allowed us to be where we were midseason before everything fell apart with injuries. We asked him to do a lot more with the way things were set up than we normally would.”

Varitek likes the addition of Bobby Jenks to the 'pen.

“Bobby is one of those guys, hitting left-handed off him, looked like he threw the ball out of the way and you didn’t know where the hole came from,” Varitek explained. “You can see he’s got some deception when you catch him. He’s one of the first guys in the league that pitched with control at 96, 98 miles an hour. It gives us some extra added depth to our bullpen, which we strongly needed.”

Varitek said the team has a lot of work to do.

“Some of the changes we made have put us in a competitive spot,” he said. “We were shortchanged by the end of last year, even once we got healthy. We did some things to allow this team to be competitive, and now we need to put in the work.”

As far as his career, Varitek said he’s taking it a season at a time now and he’s only focused on 2011.

“I can tell you after this one,” he said. “If I feel as good as I do now throughout the year, it’s good.”

Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon had a sitdown with members of the media on Sunday, largely echoing comments made to our Gordon Edes last week.

Asked about the possibility that this could be his last year with Boston, as he's entering the final year of his contract, Papelbon said, "I'm really not even thinking about it. Yeah, there's a possibility I could stay and a possibility I could go, but at the same time I'm thinking about the possibility of winning a championship and I think that kind of throws everything out the door."

On the assumption that he'll be leaving after this season, Papelbon said, "Why does everybody think that? That's an assumption. I'll just leave it at that. Honestly, I'm not going to be thinking about that."

Papelbon went on to laud the offseason work of GM Theo Epstein, saying he filled all the holes of last season's team that failed to make the playoffs. "I think Theo did a hell of a job. We're in a position where it's put up or shut up. Theo's given us all the tools to go out there and succeed."

Papelbon added that if he or anyone else is worrying about his contract "we won't be the team we're supposed to be."