Second baseman Mark Loretta is already displaying his excellent skills both with his bat and his glove.

01:00 AM EST on Thursday, March 16, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- It would be nice, Mark Loretta admits, if he could save some of the hits he's been rapping out in Florida for the start of the regular season. But baseball doesn't work that way.

So it doesn't much matter that Loretta, the Red Sox' new second baseman obtained in a deal last December for Doug Mirabelli, is batting a blistering .583 (10-for-17), including two more hits yesterday in the Sox' 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

But Loretta's strong showing in the Grapefruit League is proof that he's completely recovered from the thumb injury that caused him to miss two-thirds of last year with the San Diego Padres.

"It's not even an issue," Loretta said.

Not much is with Loretta, who is the very epitome of steadiness. Over 11 years in the major leagues -- the first seven with Milwaukee and the last four with the Padres -- Loretta has a lifetime .301 average and a reputation as one of the game's soundest players.

Need a ball to be fielded cleanly with the tying run at third? Loretta is among the most sure-handed infielders in the game. Want a hit-and-run executed with precision? He can do that, too.

"The more you get to know him and the way he plays the game and understands the game, the more you like him," said manager Terry Francona.

Loretta becomes the Red Sox' fourth starting second baseman since the start of the 2003 season, following Todd Walker, Mark Bellhorn and Tony Graffanino, and though he has only a one-year deal and Dustin Pedroia waits in the wings, it's believed that Loretta will bring some stability to the position.

"He knows how to play the game," said Francona. "I saw him in Milwaukee and I've liked him for a long time. He's easy to like."

Loretta has a short stroke at the plate, which should enable the Sox to utilize his skills at the top of the lineup. At times the last few years, Loretta hit leadoff for the Padres. But he's better suited for the second spot, from where he can hit behind the runner, hit the ball to the opposite field and allow leadoff man Coco Crisp to be aggressive on the bases.

Since Loretta seldom strikes out and is one of the game's best hitters with two strikes, his ability to make consistent contact should enable Francona to put Crisp in motion often.

This figures to be a season of adjustment for the 34-year-old Loretta. After spending the last eight seasons in the National League, he switches leagues and moves from the West Coast to the East Coast.

There will be a learning curve as he gets to know American League pitchers. But interleague play and constant roster changes throughout the game have lessened the adjustments he faces.

He'll need to get accustomed to a new double-play partner, too, shortstop Alex Gonzalez, formerly of the Florida Marlins. Loretta already sees similarities between Gonzalez and Padres shortstop Khalil Greene, who turned in acrobatic plays with regularity.

"Alex and I have worked very well together," said Loretta. "(Getting used to another middle infielder) is probably a little overrated. The routine balls kind of take of themselves. Playing with Khalil, I had to be careful not to give up some double plays because he could get to so much. That's the way Alex is, too."

The biggest change for Loretta figures to be the environment. After four seasons in laid-back San Diego, he'll come to Boston and find a playoff-like intensity for games in April and May.

"I think that hit home," he said, "when we had our first workout this spring and we must have had 5,000 people there. That was impressive. The energy and support is amazing."

Of course, he'll find the weather to be far different, too. Instead of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s early in the season, Loretta knows he's more likely to find some cold, raw nights.

"I got spoiled in San Diego," he said. "It's something you have to be prepared for. You've got to bear down and focus that much more."

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