10:30 AM EST on Friday, March 3, 2006

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

Jonathan Papelbon's night was almost over after only five pitches. His season seemed to be in jeopardy, too.

Twins leadoff batter Shannon Stewart ripped a 2-and-2 pitch right back up the middle, the ball striking Papelbon on the inside of the left foot, just below the ankle bone. The ball dropped to the mound, where Papelbon picked it up and threw it to first for the out.

But as he gingerly walked around, Red Sox manager Terry Francona and trainer Paul Lessard hustled to the mound to check on Papelbon.

The valuable rookie right-hander clearly didn't want to come out of the game. He walked off the pain behind the mound, took three practice throws and was allowed to remain in the game.

Ultimately, Papelbon allowed two runs, both earned, on four hits in 1 2/3 innings. Torii Hunter crushed a long solo homer off him in the second. Papelbon fanned one and walked two, yanked after throwing 38 pitches to a total of nine batters in the Sox' 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium.

The major concern, though, was Papelbon's ankle, not his pitching line. And the news wasn't nearly so bad as it could have been.

"I was lucky," said Papelbon, his ankle wrapped in an ace bandage. "If that ball hit me one inch higher, I'm done for three to six months. But it hit half on the heel of my shoe and half on the flesh, just below the bone.

"My initial reaction was "I'm going down.' I thought my whole ankle was shattered. It was tingling pretty good. I got shaken up a little bit. But it started to feel good. It didn't affect my pitching. I don't need any x-rays. The trainers said it's just bruised up pretty good."

Some catching up to do

Yesterday, catcher Jason Varitek left camp for Scottsdale, Ariz., to join the other players who will be representing the United States in the World Baseball Classic. If the Team USA makes it all the way to the final game, he won't be back until March 21.

Regardless of when he comes back, Varitek knows he will have missed some time that could have been put to good use learning the Sox' new pitchers, notably Josh Beckett, Julain Tavarez and Rudy Seanez, while reacquainting himself with Curt Schilling, Matt Clement, Jonathan Papelbon and Bronson Arroyo.

But, he said recently, the WBC is something he couldn't pass up.

"It's weird," said Varitek. "I'm excited on the one hand to be going. I'm honored to play. I also have reservations about doing it because there are things to be done here."

Varitek is one of nine Sox to leave camp for the WBC. Also gone are Mike Timlin (USA), Tavarez and David Ortiz (Dominican Republic), Lenny DiNardo (Italy), Alex Gonzalez (Venezuela), Alex Cora (Puerto Rico), Adam Stern (Canada) and Trent Durrington (Australia).

Crisp sparkles in debut

Johnny Who? Coco Crisp, the man replacing Johnny Damon in center and at the leadoff spot, enjoyed a sparkling debut last night. He opened the game by bouncing a 3-and-1 pitch through the left side for a single. He hustled a double to right-center in his second at-bat, and he delivered the team's first run of the spring with a triple to right-center in the fifth, knocking in Enrique Wilson, who also had tripled against Gabe White.

Just for starters

These were your 2006 Boston Red Sox for Opening Night in the Grapefruit League last night against the Twins at Hammond Stadium.

In order, the lineup was Coco Crisp (center field), Tony Graffanino (second base), Kevin Youkilis (first base), Dustan Mohr (left field), John Flaherty (catcher), Ron Calloway (dh), Alejandro Machado (shortstop), David Murphy (left field) and Enrique Wilson (third base).

That was the batting order written down by Francona, his normal lineup disrupted by the WBC and the laten reporting of Manny Ramirez to camp. Only Crisp was in the position and batting-order spot that he's likely to inhabit come the real Opening Day, in Texas on April 3.

Around the horn

Rudy Seanez last night was lit up for homers by Joe Mauer and Lew Ford in his only inning, the third . . . David Riske was nicked for a run in one inning in his Sox' debut . . . Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen each worked a spotless inning . . . Ron Calloway crushed an RBI double to dead center in the eighth . . . David Murphy whiffed four times . . . David Wells played long toss yesterday, a day after his first bullpen session, and felt "upbeat" about his health, said Francona. There still is no timetable for either Wells or Keith Foulke to face hitters . . . Ramirez could be in the lineup sooner than expected, taking some of Ortiz's at-bats as the designated hitter while he works himself into outfield shape, said Francona. He added that he would talk to Ramirez about that possibility today . . . Schilling and Clement will start the seven-inning games today against Boston College and Northeastern, respectively, at City of Palms Park . . . Infielder Dustin Pedroia left the game because of a strained left shoulder.

skrasner@projo.com / (401) 277-7340