ESPN

BOSTON -- Adrian Gonzalez homered in his first at-bat as a Dodger. He hit a walk-off, two-run double in another game, and tripled and scored the winning run in the ninth inning of another.

But beyond that, the central figure in last month's megatrade between the Red Sox and Dodgers has struggled. He took a called third strike with the tying run on base to end the Dodgers' 1-0 defeat Monday night to San Diego, which dropped the Dodgers to six games behind the Giants in the NL West with 20 games to play.

"I'm just letting the team down," Gonzalez told reporters after that loss, and indeed, it has been a struggle.

The Dodgers were 6-10 since the trade entering play Tuesday night, and Gonzalez had posted a .227/.288/.348 batting line, with three doubles, a triple and a home run along with 10 RBIs.

"The most frustrating part is that I feel so good," Gonzalez told the L.A. Times. "When it comes to the result, it's not there. This is a result-driven game. The results need to be there. It's not just having a good at-bat or making a good swing. It's about getting on base, driving a run in."

The Dodgers could still claim a postseason spot in October. They were a game out of the wild-card race entering play Tuesday night, and will have former Sox pitcher Josh Beckett on the mound Wednesday night when they face the Cardinals, one of the teams ahead of them. Beckett has lost two of his first three decisions.

Nick Punto, meanwhile, has two singles in 14 at-bats for the Dodgers.

LOS ANGELES -- Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto may have had little time to pack before boarding a plane from Boston to Los Angeles early Saturday morning, but before the former Boston Red Sox could begin the next chapters of their careers as members of the Los Angeles Dodgers, there was quite a bit of baggage to deal with.

"I had an awesome time in Boston. I had some tough times. There are some great people there," Beckett said. "For me, I think it was time to move on and start this new chapter."

Asked why it was time, Beckett said: "I don't know. I think it was time for both sides. I don't really have a reason."

There are, of course, plenty of reasons why Beckett (5-11, 5.23 ERA) and the Red Sox might part on sour terms.

But when pressed for specifics, Beckett seemed willing to assume quite a bit of the blame for the Red Sox historic collapse last September and his own struggles this season.

"We were very talented. We should've played better," Beckett said. "That's what I told [Red Sox GM] Ben Cherington. I don't think he wants to trade away everybody. I just think we made it impossible for him not to do that by not playing well and I'm as big a part of that as anybody. I know that that's not what they wanted to do. They wanted Adrian to stay and they wanted me to stay. They wanted Nick to stay and they wanted Carl [Crawford] to stay. But we just didn't do our jobs."

Beckett's only admissions about the turmoil that has plagued the Red Sox clubhouse the last two seasons were just vague allusions like: "There are some exterior distractions that make it difficult. There was just a lot of stuff."

For his part, Gonzalez said he too leaves Boston with some regrets.

Without directly admitting he was speaking about the text message that was reportedly sent from his phone to Boston ownership expressing dissatisfaction with Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, Gonzalez said he has regrets about several things in his Red Sox tenure.

"Last year everybody was telling me about taking more of a leadership role at the end of the year," Gonzalez said. "This year I tried to be a little more outspoken. But whenever you say certain things or do certain things, they can fire back the wrong way.

"Everything I ever did was for the sake of winning and I think everybody in the clubhouse knows that. The way things were spun is unfortunate, but I guess, looking back, there are a couple things; well, one thing, that I shouldn't have done."

Asked why the Red Sox underachieved so badly, Gonzalez said: "It was working pretty well until [last] September and then, when the hitters hit, we gave up runs; and when the pitchers pitched, we didn't hit. I don't know. It kind of went on from there. We made a lot of errors. We've said it all along, the players have, we just didn't play good baseball.

"Then all these other things came out. They were zero reason why we lost. But then this year we just couldn't put it together."

Gonzalez wore a black T-shirt with Mickey Mouse on the front to his introductory news conference after the Dodgers' 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday.

It was a silly choice, but it wasn't exactly a coincidence.

"When we heard about [the trade] we didn't have a lot of time to pack," he said. "But when I saw this shirt I figured there couldn't really be a better shirt to wear."

The deal hasn't been officially announced, but the news is out -- via Nick Punto's Twitter account -- that Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Punto are bound for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On Saturday afternoon, Punto tweeted a photo of Gonzalez, Beckett and himself aboard a plane, with the caption, "#dodgers doing it first class!"

The Dodgers are agreeing to take on the contracts of Carl Crawford and Beckett in order to acquire the slugging first baseman Gonzalez, who will be returning to his Southern California roots.

According to a source, Gonzalez wants to play for the Dodgers on Saturday night and planned to be in the lineup against the Miami Marlins in Los Angeles.

"Excited to get back to Cali and be a part of Dodgertown!" Gonzalez tweeted Saturday afternoon.

Punto, meanwhile, tweeted a farewell to Boston fans.

"Thanks to all the fans of #Red Sox nation, also thank you to all my teammates, coach's and staff," he wrote on his Twitter account.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Adrian Gonzalez was not in the lineup for the second straight game Saturday night and was doubtful to play Sunday, according to manager Bobby Valentine.

The issue? Back spasms.

Gonzalez worked out Thursday when the team gathered here after the All-Star break. "I was perfectly fine that day," he said. "[Friday], the more I did the more it tightened up. Just locked up. Weird."

About an hour before Friday's game, a 3-1 Red Sox win, Gonzalez was scratched from the starting lineup, replaced by Mauro Gomez.

"I told Bobby yesterday, 'I can play if you want me to. I can get enough heat on my back, numbing pills I can just forget about it and gut my way through it,'" Gonzalez said. "He doesn't want me to do anything.

"It's better today. They just don't want me to do anything."

This will be the third game Gonzalez has not started this season. He played in 159 games last season, his first with Boston, and played 160 games or more in his last four seasons in San Diego. He had not missed back-to-back games since becoming an every-day player in 2006.

Meanwhile, to make room for Clay Buchholz, who came off the DL for his start Saturday night, the Red Sox have optioned Gomez back to Pawtucket. Gomez hit .308 in six games here, the first five of which he started at third base. He knocked in three runs and committed four errors.

With Gonzalez out, Brent Lillibridge drew the start at first base. He has made 14 big league starts at the position. Bobby Valentine mentioned Nick Punto and Jarrod Saltalamacchia as other options there, and of course David Ortiz can play the position. Punto was receiving treatment on his ankle after Ben Zobrist slid hard into him in the eighth inning Friday, but said he thought he'd be fine.

BOSTON -- At first glance, you'll see that the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 10-8 on Friday night in the first game of a four-game weekend series at Fenway Park.

A closer look, however, and you could see how Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia has come into his own. He's making it easy to notice that the organization made the right decision to acquire him via trade and have him develop under Jason Varitek.

And, yes, it took a loss to the Yankees on Friday to fully understand and appreciate Salty's contributions this season, the first without Varitek behind the plate in some capacity since 1997.

When Varitek took over as the Sox's full-time catcher in 1999, he was 27 years old. He hit .269 with 20 homers and 76 RBIs that season. Saltalamacchia turned 27 on May 2 and he's currently at .244 with 17 homers and 41 RBIs.

On Friday, after the Sox fell behind 5-0 in the top of the first, Saltalamacchia's three-run homer in the bottom half of the inning tied the game at 5-5. He set a career high in home runs when that shot landed in the right-field seats, surpassing last season's mark of 16.

His 17 homers are the most by a Red Sox catcher before the All-Star break since Carlton Fisk had 18 in 1973. Pudge finished with 26 homers and 71 RBIs that season.

Speaking of All-Stars, it's inconceivable that Saltalamacchia is not an All-Star this season, especially with the offensive tear he's been on of late. He has belted four homers in the past eight games and six in the past 15.

The Red Sox's longest-tenured player in Boston, David Ortiz, said after Friday's loss that he's seeing strong similarities between Saltalamacchia and Varitek.

"Great, man," Ortiz said of Saltalamacchia. "This game is a learning process and he's learning and once you learn, you never forget. I talked to him the other day and he said, 'I watch all of you guys hitting and I've learned from it. I see you're not trying to always pull the ball and you're trying to stay through the ball and I'm trying to do the same thing.' There he is."

Red Sox newcomer Nick Punto never had Varitek as a teammate in the big leagues, but he played against him plenty of times. When Punto arrived on the scene in Boston and saw how Saltalamacchia prepared himself, he knew the Red Sox had the right guy behind the plate to replace the retired captain.

"Those are really big shoes to fill," Punto said. "Varitek was a great player here for a lot of years and Salty's really coming into his own. You can see it offensively that he's becoming a more mature hitter. He has a lot of raw power, too. This field suits him well with the Monster. It's fun, too, to watch him dissect hitters and he loves talking baseball. He's a very mature player -- a guy you want on your team."

Saltalamacchia made his presence felt with his defensive play, too.

The combination of a heads-up play by Punto at second base, and Saltalamacchia's willingness to block the plate in a Varitek-esque move in the top of the fifth inning, prevented Alex Rodriguez from scoring what would have been the go-ahead run. Instead, A-Rod was out and the game remained knotted at 6-6 before Boston gained a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the inning.

"I felt it was a big out to get if we could get it and the only time you can get that play is if you get a line drive when the guy at third base has to freeze, and A-Rod froze a little bit," Punto said. "You fire it over there and hope you get him."

Punto got him because Saltalamacchia stretched out his left leg to block the plate.

"That's instincts," Punto said. "He's a good enough catcher to know. He's played with Adrian [Gonzalez] and Adrian makes those plays, so you just read that play, watch it develop and everything moves pretty quick but [Salty] was right there."

In a Saltalamacchia-style move, he quickly exited the ballpark after Friday's loss, partly because he knew he would have to answer questions about his 17th homer of the season. To him, like Varitek, it's not about personal achievements. It's about wins and losses and on Friday the Red Sox lost.

The only thing missing was a glove to the face of Rodriguez and a walk-off win for the Red Sox (flash back to July 24, 2004).

MIAMI -- David Ortiz's 393rd career homer was the first he's ever hit into a nightclub.

His fourth-inning blast landed in The Clevelander, the South Beach-style club the Miami Marlins had built into the left-field concourse of their new ballpark.

After the game, Ortiz slipped on an expensive jacket and a red pair of Louis Vuitton loafers. He and his Boston Red Sox teammates were ready to party, cruising into an off day with a 10-2 win, their second in a row, and the type of offensive outburst that's been hard to find.

"We needed that," Ortiz said. "Our pitching's been stepping up. We've been facing some good pitching the last week. It's crazy how that works. We've been working on that. We've been trying."

The Red Sox's bats matched a masterful effort from Felix Doubront, who struck out nine and allowed three hits in a season-high seven innings. They backed him up with 14 hits, the most they've had since June 1, and made the game a laugher with a six-run eighth. They tagged Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco (6-5) with four runs and five Miami relievers with the rest.

Nearly everyone brought something to the show, led by Ortiz, who was 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs, including his 15th homer of the season. That tied him with Jim Edmonds for 53rd all-time. Next up is Joe Carter (396).

Boston did it all offensively. The Sox manufactured a run, helped along by a sacrifice bunt by Doubront. They got a bomb from Big Papi. They batted around in the eighth, an inning that featured two hits and two RBIs from a pinch hitter (Nick Punto) and the pounding of a highly effective reliever (Miami's Randy Choate).

"We haven't batted around in so long, and we're a good offensive team," Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "Bat around, see Nicky Punto get two hits in an inning. That's a good thing.

"We can do that again," he added.

The top of the order -- Scott Podsednik, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez and Ortiz -- were a combined 9-for-17 with 7 RBIs and 6 runs scored.

"It was big," said Punto, who had two hits in an inning for the first time in his career. "We haven't been coming up with timely hits. It was nice to see Adrian get a few knocks there, and Pedroia, and pretty much up and down the lineup guys were driving in runs."

They were soon driving out of the parking lot, looking ready for Miami's nightlife and some well-earned good times. Chicago's next.

TORONTO -- The dugout silent treatment following a home run is usually saved for rookies rather than 12-year veterans, yet after Nick Punto smashed a solo homer to the Rogers Centre's second deck in the ninth inning, he was greeted with no reaction in the Red Sox dugout.

"The good old silent treatment. It was fun," Punto said. "I said 'Come give me some love. I've been playing this game a while but that's only my 15th home run, so come give me some love.'"

After a few seconds of playing along, Punto's teammates indeed showed that love, happily celebrating Punto's first homer of both the season and as a Red Sox player. Punto had done plenty to deserve such a reaction, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in Boston's 7-4 win over the Blue Jays.

It was a rare offensive burst from the career .246 hitter; the Red Sox signed Punto not for his bat but for his versatility. His ability to play all over the infield has been a valuable asset to the team given the number of injuries faced by the Sox this season. Punto has started Boston's past five games at second base in place of Dustin Pedroia, who may yet still face a DL stint due to a torn muscle in his right thumb.

Punto said it has been difficult for him to adjust to the reduced playing time given that he had been a starter in Minnesota and got regular action last season as a backup for the Cardinals thanks to the ever-shifting nature of National League lineups. Yet, Punto is happy with his role and his opportunities to help the Sox whenever he can.

"It felt great," Punto said. "We're playing good baseball and for me to get in there and contribute a little bit felt great."

TORONTO -- The Boston Red Sox used some timely hitting and another quality start from Felix Doubront to record a 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at Rogers Centre.

Boston jumped out to an early lead with four runs in the second inning, all of which were scored with two outs. Rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks continued his hot hitting with an RBI single, Nick Punto followed with an RBI double and Daniel Nava delivered a two-run single that blooped in front of Toronto center fielder Colby Rasmus.

It was yet another instance of the Sox coming up big in important situations. Boston entered the game with an .848 OPS with runners on base, the third-highest total of any team in the majors.

PUNTO POWERS UP: Punto went 3-for-4 in the game, including his first home run of both the season and his tenure with the Red Sox. The occasion was marked by the Boston bench giving Punto the silent treatment before exploding to congratulate the light-hitting infielder on his rare long ball. Punto made his fifth straight start at second base in place of the injured Dustin Pedroia, who is out with a right thumb injury.

DOUBRONT DELIVERS: Doubront matched his season high by throwing 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out eight Jays batters. It was Doubront's eighth quality start in 11 outings this season, and he improves to 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA over his last six starts.

Doubront allowed solo home runs to Jeff Mathis and Jose Bautista, and he risked further damage on two other occasions. The left-hander escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third by inducing a pop-up from Rasmus to end the inning, and after committing an error in the fourth that led to an unearned run, Doubront got a forceout that left two Jays runners stranded.

BLOOPERS: The Red Sox got an unearned score of their own in the fourth. Kevin Youkilis lined a double off the right-field wall and advanced to third on a wild throw from Bautista. Youkilis later came in to score on a double play from Middlebrooks.

Shortstop Mike Aviles appeared to be shaken up after bobbling a ground ball from Edwin Encarnacion in the third that was originally scored as an error on Aviles but changed to an infield single. Aviles received a brief visit from manager Bobby Valentine and trainer Rick Jameyson following the play but remained in the game.

Right fielder Ryan Sweeney made a peculiar error in the eighth inning that led to a Toronto run. Following a single from Brett Lawrie that advanced Encarnacion to second, Sweeney appeared to fake a throw into the infield, but the ball slipped from his grasp and rolled into center field. Sweeney's misplay allowed the Jays to temporarily cut the deficit to two runs.

Then Lawrie committed perhaps the game's worst blunder, getting thrown out trying to steal third by Jarrod Saltalamacchia -- ending the inning and the Jays' rally.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Red Sox have now won 16 of their past 22 games and go for the sweep of their AL East rivals Sunday. Daniel Bard takes the mound for Boston, while the Jays counter with rookie right-hander Drew Hutchison.

TORONTO -- Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia took grounders during batting practice Friday but remained out of the lineup for a fourth straight game.

Pedroia hasn't played since jamming his right thumb in the fifth inning of Monday's win over Detroit after, an injury later diagnosed as a torn muscle.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine joined provided an optimistic outlook.

"It's the meaty part of the hand, where the ... muscles that control the thumb get bruised by a pitch being thrown inside and the bat vibrating in the hand," Valentine said during his weekly appearance on the Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 98.7 FM. "Most of his swelling is down, he's gripping a bat, he played catch [Thursday].

"I don't think the DL is going to be in the cards for him. That being said, he's not ready to play just yet, so we're playing -- as they say -- a man short."

Valentine added that while there is natural concern that Pedroia could get hurt worse when he's able to return, he's not worried about it.

"I think Dustin can go out there and play, and not be affected at all, unless a re-occurrence of the original situation presents itself. That fastball that comes inside that you don't get the head of the bat out and you get your hands out, and it hits close to your hand and you get that vibration, it can be painful."

Nonetheless, Valentine did not offer any specifics in Toronto on when Pedroia might be able to resume hitting. The 2008 AL MVP has had a special brace fitted to his bats, but has been told not to swing until swelling in the thumb subsides.

"We just want to let nature take its time," Valentine said before the Red Sox faced the Blue Jays.

Pedroia took grounders from bench coach Tim Bogar during the first half of batting practice, then walked off the field and returned to the clubhouse.

Valentine had hinted Thursday that Boston would not continue to play short-handed through the weekend, with speculation rife that infielder Pedro Ciriaco would be promoted from Triple-A Pawtucket.

Rookie Will Middlebrooks, who played shortstop in high school, took grounders at short before Thursday's loss to Detroit.

Like Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis was also out of the lineup Friday, a scheduled day off. Valentine said he offered Youkilis the chance to take consecutive days off Sunday and Monday, when Boston does not play, but Youkilis preferred to split up his days of rest.

Youkilis, the subject of trade rumors, is batting .313 (10 for 32) with two homers in nine games since returning from a 22-game absence caused by a sore back.

"He's been great," Valentine said. "Youk's 100 percent and when Youk is 100 percent, he's a really good member of the team. He's playing good defense, running the bases well and having good at bats."

Nick Punto started at second base Friday, with Will Middlebrooks at third and Adrian Gonzalez at first base and Ryan Sweeney in right.

Asked whether Gonzalez, who has started eight of the past 12 games in right, would return to the outfield this weekend, Valentine said "maybe," and denied suggestions Gonzalez is unhappy in right.

"I don't sense that," Valentine said. "There's been no indication of that."

Valentine called the defensive rotation between Gonzalez, Youkilis and Middlebrooks "a workable situation but maybe not long term."

"I think after the off day would be a good time to collect everyone's thoughts on it, or maybe even in the next couple of days," he said. "It just depends on how it affects the guys physically and mentally."

While Pedroia's situation remained murky, there was clearer news for a trio of Red Sox currently on the disabled list:

" Outfielder Cody Ross, out with a fractured left foot, has told Valentine he "feels great." Ross will have his walking boot removed and undergo a physical exam when the Red Sox return home next week, and could be cleared to resume baseball activities or begin a minor league rehab stint.

" Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka (right elbow) allowed two runs, including a solo homer, in 5 1/3 innings at Pawtucket on Thursday, his second rehab start.

"He's staying there, he's going to throw his bullpen there and throw again (Tuesday)," Valentine said. "The reports were much better. First inning home run, up to 94, sat at 91, had a good changeup. Worked quick with men on base, there were only a couple of men on base."

" Outfielder Darnell McDonald (right oblique) is also at Pawtucket, and will play through the weekend there.

" Also joining the PawSox this weekend is right-hander Mark Prior. The former first-round pick, who last pitched in the majors in 2006, was signed to a minor league deal last month and had been at extended spring training.

Valentine called Prior's advance a "great story."

"He's made constant progress. People have liked his attitude and his throwing ability."

Ian Harrison is a special contributor to ESPNBoston.com.

BOSTON -- The young boy struck by a bat at Fenway Park on Saturday is expected to be fine, according to the Red Sox.

The team has been in contact with the child’s father, who told the team that the boy was released from Children’s Hospital on Saturday night. He was “behaving normally,” according to word from the doctors passed on to the Red Sox.

The scary incident occurred in the sixth inning of Boston’s 8-2 loss to Baltimore. Red Sox third baseman Nick Punto lost the bat swinging at a Jason Hammel offering. The bat soared into the stands near the Boston dugout. Punto and Hammel showed concern as medical personnel tended to the boy before removing him from the park.

BOSTON (AP) -- A child was carried from the stands behind the Red Sox dugout after being hit with Nick Punto's flying bat in the sixth inning of a game between Boston and the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday at Fenway Park.

Boston's Punto, batting left-handed with one out in the sixth, had the bat slip out of his hands and fly about two rows behind the dugout, striking the child.

No immediate word was available about the injury.

BOSTON -- About two hours before Saturday's first pitch Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was forced to make a lineup switch.

Rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks was scratched from the original starting lineup because of a tight left hamstring. He was replaced by Nick Punto, which prompted Valentine to make alterations in his original lineup. He listed Punto as the leadoff hitter and dropped Ryan Sweeney from first to sixth.

Middlebrooks had played in two games since being recalled from Pawtucket on Wednesday when Kevin Youkilis was placed on the disabled list. Depending on his availability later in the day, Valentine was operating with a very thin bench for the game against the Orioles. The only healthy position players on the bench are outfielder Darnell McDonald and catcher Kelly Shoppach.

Designated hitter David Ortiz was moved up to the third spot for the first time this year, and shortstop Mike Aviles dropped from leadoff to fifth as Valentine continues to search for a lineup will produce consistently.

The new lineup:

Punto 3b
Dustin Pedroia 2b
Ortiz dh
Adrian Gonzalez 1b
Aviles ss
Sweeney rf
Cody Ross lf
Jarrod Saltalamacchia c
Marlon Byrd cf

Aaron Cook starting pitcher

DETROIT -- Well, that didn’t take long.

Two games into the season, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is shaking up the Red Sox lineup, which has produced two runs so far, none in a 10-0 defeat by the Tigers on Saturday.

For the first time in nearly a year, Jacoby Ellsbury will start in a spot other than leadoff in the Sox batting order. Ellsbury, who batted ninth in a game last April 21, will bat second against Tigers right-hander Matt Scherzer on Sunday afternoon, with Dustin Pedroia dropping down to the 3-hole, Adrian Gonzalez hitting cleanup and David Ortiz fifth.

Nick Punto, Darnell McDonald and Kelly Shoppach all are making their first starts of the season.

“Getting some guys their first starts of the year and I think we’ll be able to score some runs with it,’’ Valentine said. “Hope so.’’

The Sox's new leadoff man? No, not the typical suspects, like Pedroia or Mike Aviles. It will be Punto, who in 44 previous games as a leadoff man (40 starts) is batting .169, by far his worst average at any spot in the batting order.

Last season, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa started Punto eight times at leadoff. He responded with three hits in his first two games, but went 1-for-22 in his last six starts at the top spot.

Valentine said he gives those numbers no weight.

“None,’’ he said. “I think he’s going to hit .260 in the leadoff spot, so he’s got a lot of hits coming. I don’t think it has anything to do with it.
Personally, I don’t think it has anything to do with it.’’

So what does Valentine like about Punto hitting leadoff?

“Just want to see what it looks like,’’ he said. “See if it gives us a little spark. He’s a sparky kind of player, battles everyone.’’

Meanwhile, Ellsbury has not batted in the 2-hole since June 14, 2009, when he hit behind Julio Lugo in an interleague game in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Ellsbury has batted second eight times in his big-league career, with six starts, and is batting .304 (7-for-23) in those games.

Perhaps an even bigger surprise is this: McDonald is getting a start against a right-hander, replacing Cody Ross in left field, and batting sixth. Last season McDonald batted just .189 (10-for-53) against right-handers with more strikeouts (13) than hits (10), and Terry Francona started him just three times against righties.

Valentine said during spring training he planned to employ a variety of lineups, and indeed looked at Ellsbury in the 2-hole in exhibition play. And McDonald was the team’s hottest hitter in spring training, batting .447 with a 1.327 OPS, playing against lefties and righties.

“Most of his at-bats in spring were against right-handers,’’ Valentine said. “I figured if he’s ever ready to start against a right-hander, it’s now.’’
He also has said he likes to get his bench players participating early. Shoppach, who got his first hit as a Red Sox (0-for-15 his first go-round) as a pinch hitter Saturday afternoon, will start behind the plate in place of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Kevin Youkilis, hitless in his first eight at-bats while striking out in four consecutive plate appearances over the first two games, is sitting in place of Punto.

“I haven’t had good at-bats, a couple, one I disagreed on a call, that’s just how it works,’’ Youkilis said on Saturday. “One hundred sixty-two games, you’re going to have two bad games. Hopefully these are the two bad ones, things start clicking well, and I start helping this team win.’’

Unlike Francona, who made a practice of telling players the night before whether they were starting the next day, players did not know until they arrived at the ballpark Sunday.

Here’s the lineup:

Nick Punto, 3B

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

Dustin Pedroia, 2B

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

David Ortiz, DH

Darnell McDonald, LF

Ryan Sweeney, RF

Mike Aviles, SS

Kelly Shoppach, C

Clay Buchholz -- RHP

JUPITER, Fla. -- After Felix Doubront’s last start, Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said the left-hander lacked a “killer pitch” and didn’t attack hitters. Those grumblings were not heard after Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Miami Marlins.

In his longest start of the spring, Doubront went six innings and allowed one run. He lowered his spring ERA from 3.38 to 2.70. In total, he has struck out 11 and walked six in 18 2/3 innings.

Basically, he’s been a serviceable back-of-the-rotation starter.

“He’s progressed as well as anyone in camp,” Valentine said. “He’s done what we asked for.”

With an open debate about Daniel Bard’s lack of a third pitch and Alfredo Aceves' struggling in Saturday’s split-squad game in Fort Myers, Doubront’s fairly clean, 78-pitch outing looks a little better.

He walked one, struck out two and allowed five hits, including a Gaby Sanchez double that just caught the left-field line and a solo homer to Austin Kearns. Doubront finished off several 1-2 counts, induced two double plays, threw his curveball for strikes and reached 94 mph with his fastball.

“He kept his composure and he pitched well. It was a positive outing,” Valentine said.

Catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI single off Marlins starter Wade LeBlanc, has spent parts of four seasons with Doubront in Boston’s farm system. He said it was one of the lefty's better games.

“I don’t want to limit him and say that was his best, but he threw the ball tremendously today,” Lavarnway said. “He was aggressive from the start. He filled up the strike zone with all four pitches. He went right at guys. I haven’t seen him throw that well in a long time.

“You can see that look in his eye that he means business. He wants to not only pitch in the big leagues, but be successful and be in the Boston Red Sox starting rotation.”

* Valentine played along with a joke that Pedro Ciriaco might skip Fenway and head straight for Cooperstown. The 26-year-old infielder, who played second base next to Jose Iglesias, went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored. That raised his already gaudy batting splits to .441/.457/.676.

With Iglesias, Mike Aviles and Nick Punto ahead of him, Ciriaco isn’t a candidate for a roster spot. But Valentine clearly enjoys having him around.

“How about Ciriaco,” he said. “I’m telling you. Everyone’s talking about the shortstop situation ... he’s a very good player. I’m telling you.”

Lest anyone think he was ready to move Ciriaco up the depth chart, Valentine tempered his enthusiasm: “Well, he’s played very well. He has very good talent, and he’s played very well.”

* Lars Anderson went 0-3, dropping his numbers to .357/.457/.567.

* There was no pregame lineup card exchange between Valentine and Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen. The managers left those duties to coaches Joey Espada (Marlins) and Jerry Royster (Red Sox). Reporters sitting in the press box were unable to see if the managers waved at each other from their opposing dugouts.