01:00 AM EST on Sunday, March 12, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Facing major-league hitters for the first time this spring, Curt Schilling cruised through the first three innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, facing the minimum number of hitters while striking out three of the first nine batters.

Then came the fourth inning. By the time the frame was over, the Pirates had four hits and a sacrifice fly, accounting for four runs. Pittsburgh went on to post a 10-7 win.

But Schilling wasn't the least bit discouraged.

"I felt good," said Schilling. "I thought I executed some pitches today. I felt a lot of better than the line score. I cut loose with a couple of fastballs and the split is coming along. A couple of times, I felt like, 'That's what I've been searching for for a long time.' "

A major-league scout behind home plate had Schilling's fastball measured between 91-93 mph on the radar gun, a significant improvement in velocity over last year.

"I thought he threw the ball very well," said catcher Josh Bard. "He should be very encouraged. To me, he looks healthy and strong."

"I thought he made a lot of progress," added manager Terry Francona.

For the second straight outing, Schilling drilled a hitter in the helmet. Last week, he beaned minor-leaguer Jeff Natale; yesterday, he struck Pirates outfielder Chris Duffy to open the fourth. Duffy had to leave the game and was later taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for a minor concussion and released.

The hit batsman is likely a consequence of Schilling's vow to throw inside more in order to open up the plate and ensure that hitters don't feel as comfortable in the batter's box as they did a season ago.

"He's got to be able to get out of the way of that," said Schilling of Duffy. "That's just the way it goes. I'm not trying to hit anyone in the head. But if you're not comfortable, that won't happen."

"That's the whole idea -- he's trying to expand the plate," Francona said. "When you let good hitters extend their arms, bad things happen."

A long road ahead

Francona spoke recently with pitching coach Dave Wallace, who hopes to be released from a Boston hospital within the next few days.

Wallace has hospitalized for weeks with an infection in his hip and only recently got out of traction.

The plan is for him to go home, recover, and then undergo two surgical procedures -- the first of which will put a "spacer" into the hip joint, and then, ultimately, a hip replacement. The latter, according to Francona, is at least a couple of months away, making it unlikely that Wallace will be with the team at all this season.

"He sounded so much better," said Francona. "He misses doing what he loves doing. We'll do fine -- (Al Nipper) is a good pitching coach. But (Wallace) is a friend. As tough as it was last year to get the outs, I grew to have so much more respect for him."

Around the bases

Dustin Mohr cranked a solo homer in the fifth, his second of the spring. . . . Thanks to the strong play of rookie second baseman Ian Kinsler, the Texas Rangers' interest in Tony Graffanino has cooled. Graffanino is still being looked at by the Mets, Cubs and Marlins. In an effort to showcase his versatility, the Sox had Graffanino playing third base yesterday. He was 1-for-3 with a single. . . . Back in Fort Myers, Josh Beckett tossed four innings in a minor-league intrasquad game, throwing 60 pitches, 40 of which were strikes. Beckett allowed two hits and a walk while striking out seven. . . . The Sox had wanted to use the DH, but as the home (National League) team, the Pirates wouldn't agree. That meant the pitchers hit. Schilling popped to second in his first trip to the plate, then grounded to third base in his second at-bat. . . . Lefty phenom Jon Lester had command issues, resulting in three runs being scored against him in the sixth. He also yielded a run in the seventh. . . . Lenny DiNardo returned to the team after Team Italy was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, but didn't make the trip here. . . . David Wells was scheduled to throw to hitters for about 15 minutes yesterday. The tentative plan has Wells starting Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. . . . San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith was at McKechnie Field, accompanied by his agent, Bob Garber, who also represents Sox second baseman Mark Loretta.

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