01:00 AM EST on Thursday, March 23, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

TAMPA -- After an offseason and early spring that saw Johnny Damon lob some criticism at the Red Sox for allowing him to leave last December, the former Sox leadoff man toned down his comments last night and mostly steered clear of any negative remarks about his former club.

Damon, who hit leadoff and served as the DH last night as the Yankees edged the Red Sox, 5-4, in the only meeting between the teams this spring, said he's made peace with his decision and departure.

"I think the fans understand I'm gone now," he said. "It's not big news anymore. I plan to help (the Yankees) win a title. It's time to play baseball.I've moved on."

Though Damon spent much of the month taking part in the inaugural World Baseball Classic and hasn't spent much time with his teammates, "I definitely feel a part of this team. They've welcomed me with open arms. They know how important I can be in the clubhouse and on the mood of this team."

Damon, who got $52 million over four years to come to the Yankees, could inject some energy and humor into a clubhouse that has been staid and overly mannered.

"They told me to be myself," Damon said. "If being myself can make the players happy and take the pressure off them, so be it. This team is going to be good with or without me, but I do think they're going to be better with me."

Bothered by shoulder tendinitis during the WBC, Damon expected to be cleared to return to the outfield in the next day or two.

In his first plate appearance last night, Damon was greeted with a mixture of boos and cheers. He went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and a run scored against his former team.

Pena's first homer

Wily Mo Pena belted a two-run homer down the left-field line off Shawn Chacon in the fourth, scoring Mike Lowell ahead of him. It was Pena's first homer with the Sox and, in fact, his first this spring.

The Sox pushed across another run in the inning when Alejando Machado drew a walk and raced home on a double by Adam Stern.

Jonathan Papelbon, in likely making his final start of the spring, allowed two runs in five innings. He surrendered a solo homer to Bernie Williams in the second and a sacrifice fly to Gary Sheffield that scored Damon in the third.

"We'll see what happens," Papelbon said of his pending re-assignment. "I haven't heard anything. It's still up in the air. In the next 3-4-5 days, hopefully, they'll let me know what's going on."

After the Yankees went ahead, 5-3, on a two-run homer by Luis Garcia in the seventh, Stern closed the gap with a solo homer. Stern had a single, double and homer for the night.

Temper, temper!

Even in the Grapefruit League match, tempers flared some last night.

In the seventh inning, former Red Sox reliever Mike Myers plunked J.T. Snow. In the bottom of the inning, David Riske hit Derek Jeter in the back with a split-finger fastball.

In apparent retaliation, Tanyon Sturtze then drilled Lowell in the hip with a fastball in the top of the eighth, drawing a warning to both benches from home plate umpire Wally Bell.

"I didn't make anything of it," shrugged Lowell. "They were just protecting Jeter; they thought we hit him. Not a big deal."

Manager Terry Francona wasn't as sanguine.

"I wasn't too pleased about it," he said of the pitch that got Lowell.

Praise for Manny

Manny Ramirez, who wasn't on the original travel roster last night, volunteered to go on the trip and played left field. Francona said Ramirez wanted to "see some pitches under the lights." The Sox have only one night game remaining, next week against the Cincinnati Reds in Sarasota.

Francona saluted the slugger for his attitude this spring.

"He's been stellar," the manager said. "He's worked hard in the outfield. He said he was going to come to camp and be ready to go, and he was."

Juan is gone

Juan Gonzalez's season with the Cleveland Indians a year ago lasted exactly one at-bat. His "career" with the Red Sox, as it turns out, lasted less than that.

The two-time A.L. MVP signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox Sunday and was supposed to report to camp the next day. But after the Sox obtained Pena in a deal with the Reds on Monday, Gonzalez decided it made no sense to report to the Red Sox and instead apparently is heading to the Oakland A's.

Posada injured

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was struck in the face by a ball during batting practice and required medical assistance. Witnesses said Posada was bleeding heavily after a ball struck him as he stood behind the batting cage.

He was taken to St. Joe's hospital in Tampa, where x-rays showed a nasal fracture that was scheduled to be realigned late last night. He was expected to spend the night in the hospital and be released and re-evaluated today.

He had been scheduled to catch last night, but was removed from the lineup in favor of Kelly Stinnett.