01:00 AM EST on Friday, March 31, 2006

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- The Red Sox might not have been as willing to trade Bronson Arroyo if he had more outings like the one he had yesterday for the Reds.

The right-hander who loved playing in Boston gave up three hits in seven innings with nine strikeouts and one walk in Cincinnati's 4-0 victory.

Arroyo's red shirt with the No. 61, the same number he wore with the Red Sox, bore a striking resemblance to the red jersey he had before the trade.

"It's funny pitching against guys you played with the last three or four years," Arroyo said. "It's like playing against your next-door neighbor in Little League or something. It makes you want to laugh."

Arroyo pitched six games for Boston in 2003, then went 24-19 the past two full seasons when he became one of the team's most popular players. Friendship didn't matter yesterday when he struck out Trot Nixon and Manny Ramirez, the third and fourth hitters, twice each.

"I've seen them hit," said Arroyo, who had excellent command of his fastball. "I have insight about how Manny's brain works, at least at the plate. I thought he would sit on my breaking ball."

Arroyo was expected to start the season in the bullpen for the Red Sox, who had seven potential starters. So, they traded him March 20 for slugger Wily Mo Pena and he suddenly became the No. 2 starter for the Reds. Arroyo struck out Pena twice as Cincinnati won its fourth straight game.

Arroyo said his "brain was scrambled" the day after he was told about the trade by general manager Theo Epstein. He said he'd rather be in the Red Sox bullpen than in another team's rotation.

He is scheduled to pitch Wednesday at home against the Chicago Cubs. Aaron Harang, who had Cincinnati's previous longest exhibition stint of six innings, works the opener Monday.

Cincinnati has two more exhibition games in Florida and an off day Sunday. Boston completed the Florida portion of its exhibition schedule with a 9-18-1 record and has a day off before playing two exhibition games at Philadelphia and then opening the season at Texas Monday.

Arroyo allowed a leadoff single in the first to Coco Crisp and singles by Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis to start the second. He retired the next 16 batters before walking Lowell in the seventh. He ended his outing by getting Youkilis on a grounder to third.

"Today was as close as I'm going to get to a regular season game in spring training," Arroyo said. "It was in front of a crowd that I enjoy playing in front of."

One opponent was missing: Slugging designated hitter David Ortiz took batting practice on the field behind the left field fence and sat out the game.

"He was sharp," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Arroyo, who threw 96 pitches. "It didn't help that we had David hitting on the back field instead of the main field."

Boston starter Tim Wakefield allowed one run and two hits in four innings in his final tuneup for a start Tuesday at Texas. He finished spring training with a 2.50 E.R.A. in 18 innings.

Wakefield fell behind, 1-0, on Rich Aurilia's second exhibition homer in the second inning. Cincinnati's other runs came in the eighth off Manny Delcarmen on Scott Hatteberg's run-scoring double and Austin Kearns' two-run single.

Arroyo took a hometown discount by signing a three-year, $11.25 million contract with Boston in January. That made him affordable to other teams.

"I always knew it was a business, but you feel that if you do certain things it carries some weight," he said. "Ultimately, it comes down to if the Boston Red Sox are a better team with Wily Mo Pena."

Yesterday, they weren't.