Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon is less than pleased with the Red Sox’ contract offer for the upcoming season.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

FORT MYERS, Fla. — In two spring starts, Josh Beckett has faced a college team (Boston College) and a group of mostly young Minnesota Twins players in a “B” game before a couple of hundred fans.

But for Beckett, it isn’t about the setting or the opposition. It’s about the work.

“I think I’ve gotten done what I need to do,” Beckett said yesterday after tossing two innings in a 2-2 tie. “I thought I threw the ball well today. I was still a little strong in the first inning.”

In that inning, Beckett needed 26 pitches to get through the frame, allowing an unearned run.

He was otherwise pleased with some of his secondary pitches, noting that his changeup and curveball were, in his words “my two strongest pitches in terms of location and the action on them.”

In all, Beckett threw 57 pitches, 35 for strikes.

“I felt good,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay healthy and get stronger as far as my pitch count goes.”

The only unusual aspect for Beckett was the 10 a.m. start.

“It feels like the losers’ bracket in the AAU tournament,” he joked. As for the sparse crowd, Beckett joked that he had previously pitched before such a small gathering in the regular season before — with the Florida Marlins, for whom he pitched from 2001-05.

Contract talks

Seth and Sam Levinson were at City of Palms Park yesterday to continue talks on a new contract for client Jonathan Papelbon.

Papelbon is unsigned for 2008, though he has no right to salary arbitration. Papelbon has set the Phillies’ Ryan Howard’s $900,000 salary from last season as his benchmark, while the Red Sox are pointing to Bobby Jenks’ $550,000 salary, signed last week.

There have been discussions about a multiyear deal, but the team would probably want to buy Papelbon out of some of his free-agency years — or at least options on them — and the reliever is unlikely to agree to that.

Papelbon said Sunday that if the Sox don’t get close to the Howard figure, they can renew his salary at their choosing.

The Sox have told other unsigned players — including Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz — that they will renew contracts on Thursday if the sides can’t reach agreement.

Snyder impressive

Across the state in a major-league exhibition game, the Sox lost to the Marlins, 3-2.

Kyle Snyder looked strong in three innings, allowing only two hits and a walk. Of his 29 pitches, 19 were for strikes.

“It was nice to get out there and get stretched out a little bit,” Snyder said. “I think my body is starting to accept longer outings. All my pitches felt pretty good. I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand pretty well.”

Snyder will probably open the season in the bullpen, but is nominally in the running for the fifth starter’s spot.

“He looked good,” manager Terry Francona said. “He threw the ball well and did a good job. He got into fastball counts and didn’t throw fastballs.”

Around the bases

Coco Crisp (slight groin strain) and Julio Lugo (back discomfort) didn’t make the trip to Jupiter and will rest today, according to Francona. … The Pittsburgh Pirates visit City of Palms Park this afternoon. The Pirates will start Phillip Dumatrait, a former No. 1 pick of the Sox who was sent to the Cincinnati Reds for reliever Scott Williamson in 2003. … Daisuke Matsuzaka will start for the Sox, followed by Papelbon and Julian Tavarez. … In the “B” game, Michael Bowden pitched two innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one.

smcadam@projo.com