Boston’s Coco Crisp is corralled by Tampa Bay players during a bench-clearing brawl in June.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

BOSTON — There’s been some bad blood between Boston and Tampa Bay this season, but the Red Sox say the American League Championship Series isn’t the time to act on it.

As the Sox held their final workout at Fenway Park today before heading south to begin the ALCS, they dismissed any suggestion that bad feelings between the teams will have any impact on the series.

“The bad blood?” manager Terry Francona said, responding to a question about the issue. “I don’t think anybody’s even thought of that. That was a long time ago. This is the playoffs. That really doesn’t enter into it.”

Closer Jonathan Papelbon says he’s not sure the issue has been resolved. But most of the Sox did all they could to play down the subject.

“We’re out there playing baseball. I don’t buy into what you guys say about whether we hate each other,” second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. “There are definitely guys on their team that I’m friends with and I know very well. When the games start, we’re out there trying to win.”

The teams had a fight early in June, one in which Boston’s Coco Crisp charged the mound after being hit by Tampa Bay ace James Shields.

Crisp made it clear he remembers the situation. But he insisted he is not thinking about it now.

“Things happen,” Crisp said. “It was just that series. It doesn’t seem like anything’s happened since then. It is what it is.”

Crisp spoke about how even friends sometimes have problems.

“I’ve gotten into altercations with some of my close friends,” he said. “We’re still close friends. You get over it … I don’t hold grudges at all about too many things.”

At least one Sox player, reliever Javy Lopez, said he could almost understand the Rays being a bit brash. He feels it is part of a team establishing itself as a contender.

“They’ve been close to the cellar every year. They’ve got that swagger this year and deservedly so,” Lopez said. “It’s one of those things where they’re tired of it. They wanted to establish their presence and they did. Here they are in the ALCS, but we’re going back and trying to defend. … It’s going to be fun. It’s definitely going to be fun.”

Rather than making any threats, the Sox did all they could to kill the Rays with kindness. The baseball conversation was all business and all about respect.

“This whole division is probably the best in baseball, especially now with the Rays playing the way they’ve played this year,” Crisp said. “I guess it makes another rivalry with this division.”

Tampa Bay has shocked most with its performance this season, but not Francona.

“It shouldn’t be a surprise, (after) 162 games and a playoff series (into the season), that they’re good,” Francona said. “I understand some of the story behind this. They haven’t had any success going into this and all of a sudden they went from the bottom to the top.

“It’s a great story for baseball,” he said. “It made our life a little bit more miserable this year. If you look at their team from top to bottom, it really shouldn’t be a surprise. They have a very good, very healthy starting rotation. They have a deep bullpen. They are able to match up. They have power. Their starters got them deep enough where they didn’t have to wear out their bullpen. They catch the ball as good as any team in the league and offensively they’ve gotten contributions from everybody.

“They have a real good thing going,” Francona concluded. “Our job will be to derail that.”

The Sox dismissed talk that they have an advantage because this is their fourth trip in six years to the ALCS while this is all new for the Rays.

“They’ve got good starting pitching, a good bullpen,” Pedroia said. “Their position players are very athletic. They run well, they steal bases. They do a lot of things real well. That’s why they win.”

“They’re a great team and so are we,” he said. “It’s a matter of going out there and the first team to win four games wins. Whoever plays better is going to win and go on to the World Series.”

pkenyon@projo.com