Papelbon: "My Arm Felt Outstanding"

After a couple of relief appearances, Jonathan Papelbon made his first start of the spring on Saturday. His numbers against Cincinnati may not look good -- 3.2-5-2-1-5 and a HBP on 72 pitches -- but he was thrilled with how everything went:

I fell way behind too many hitters. For me, it's going to be important to get that game started on a good foot, establishing that strike zone, getting ahead and pounding that strike zone. ... My body felt outstanding, my arm felt outstanding. Everything physically felt really good, and that's a big, big plus for me. Getting my body into that stamina I need to get. Everything building up to becoming a guy that can go 7-8 innings.

In the same game, Joel Pineiro allowed two hits but no runs in 1.1 innings. ... In a minor league game, Tim Wakefield pitched five scoreless innings (5-2-0-0-4) while Brendan Donnelly allowed five runs in only .2 of an inning.

Jon Lester will probably start the season in Pawtucket. ... Dustin Pedroia was hit by a pitch below the knuckle of his left pinkie finger; x-rays were negative. He missed a month last year when he was hit in a similar spot on his right hand.

Mike Timlin played catch for 10 minutes (tossing from up to 90 feet) on both Friday and Saturday and reported no soreness or stiffness. He won't throw off a mound for another three or four days. Since the team is adamant about not rushing him back, he'll most likely begin the season on the DL.

Hideki Okajima, on the team's St. Patrick's Day jerseys: "The green uniform made me feel like an inchworm." Earlier this spring, when asked about toiling in Daisuke Matsuzaka's shadow: "I don't mind being a hero in the dark."