COLON

BOSTON –– Bartolo Colon pitched far better than his line might indicate in his first major-league start in almost three months.

Now the Red Sox have to decide if they can find a spot for him in their bullpen.

Thanks in part to an error by third baseman Jed Lowrie, Colon gave up five runs in the second inning last night before the Sox stormed back and took him off the hook with a three-run eighth inning and a 7-5 win.

Of the five runs he allowed over six innings, just two were earned. After the rocky second, Colon allowed just two more hits over his final four innings and, thanks to two double plays, faced the minimum number of hitters the rest of the way.

“He was actually OK,” said Terry Francona in evaluating Colon’s outing. “We haven’t seen him in a long time. The second, that was a tough inning. Fortunately for us, he stayed out there and it really allowed us to line up our bullpen without overdoing anybody.”

Thanks to an off-day in the schedule Thursday, the Sox don’t need Colon to start again in the regular season. And thanks to a Division Series schedule that could have the Sox playing five games over eight days, they have more than enough starting pitching already on hand.

If Colon is going to contribute in the first round of the playoffs, his best opportunity might be out of the bullpen. In the past, Colon has made his distaste for relief pitching clear, but that could soon change if the alternative is to be left off the playoff roster entirely.

“He does present a very intriguing possibility [out of the bullpen],” acknowledged pitching coach John Farrell. “We need to look at every pitcher we have available and see how they can best help us, even if it’s in a different role.

“It would be a big transition for him because of preparation and having to get ready in a hurry, instead of long-tossing and having plenty of time to get ready for a start. There’s time [to do it], providing he’s accepting of the role. There will be an appropriate time to discuss all of that.

“But in a lot of ways, he might be a good fit there. He’s a consistent strike-thrower, he has no fear of contact and he’s able to get ground balls. The question would be: does his stuff play up even more in short stints.”

If the answer is yes, the Sox might have another set-up weapon to join Justin Masterson, Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima.

smcadam@projo.com