For the fourth time this season the Red Sox are at .500, as their 6-5 win over the Orioles Wednesday improved their record to 22-22. They have yet to have a winning record this season, but they will have their chance to finally go above .500 when when they return home to face the Rays at Fenway on Friday.

Daniel Bard picked up the win for the Sox Wednesday. (AP)

All in all, it was the bottom third of the lineup who did the most damage for the Sox on Wednesday. Daniel Nava, Scott Podsednik (who was making his first big league start since 2010) and Kelly Shoppach all homered for Boston, and the trio accounted for four of the team’s five RBI on the day. The other RBI came from the No. 6 batter in Will Middlebrooks.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Chris Davis, but the Sox tied it in the top of the second when Podsednik grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. Nick Johnson hit the first of two homers on the day by sending an offering from Daniel Bard over the right field fence, but Middlebrooks’ double to left in the top of the third tied it once again.

Nava gave the Sox a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning with his second homer of the season, and Shoppach made it 5-2 with a two-run homer off Luis Ayala that scored Podsednik. Johnson would make it a one-run game in the bottom of the sixth by blasting his second homer of the game — this time a two-run shot off Andrew Miller — but the Sox were able to hold onto the lead and withstand an eighth-inning rally from the Orioles thanks to solid relief work from Rich Hill and Podsednik’s homer. Though Vicente Padilla stumbled in the eighth inning and allowed a run to make it a one-run game, Alfredo Aceves was able to come in and record the four-out save.

Bard tossed 5 1/3 innings for the Red Sox, earning the win on a day in which he allowed five hits and two earned runs. He walked four and struck out two while also hitting a batter and allowing the solo shot to Johnson. The Sox got to Baltimore starter Jake Arrieta for eight hits and four runs (all earned). Arrieta walked three and stuck out two in addition to allowing Nava’s homer.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

- Hill was lights-out in his brief appearance Wednesday. The Milton native came in to begin the bottom of the seventh inning and struck out both Luis Exposito (swinging) and Xavier Avery (looking) before being lifted in favor of Vicente Padilla. While Hill certainly looked sharp enough to face Robert Andino, Padilla was able to pick up where Hill left off by striking Andino out looking. The eighth inning was a different story for Padilla though, as he walked Nick Markakis and allowed a double to Adam Jones before being chased from the game by a Wilson Betemit sacrifice fly that could have done much more damage (see below).

- While Podsednik’s day didn’t get off to the best start, it ended up being a very good one for the veteran outfielder. Podsednik’s second at-bat as a member of the Red Sox had the potential for a big payoff, as he came to the plate with nobody out and the bases loaded in the second inning. Unfortunately for the Sox, Podsednik grounded into a double play that scored Kevin Youkilis but served as a wasted opportunity, as it would be the Sox’ only run of the inning.

Podsednik, who also had a sacrifice bunt in the game, did pick up his first hit of his Red Sox career when he lined one into right field with two down in the top of the sixth inning. He ended up scoring on Shoppach’s two-run homer, but the highlight of the day for the 36-year-old came when he hit a breaking ball from Darren O’Day to right field for a solo homer.

- As Alex Speier noted on twitter, Nava now has his first multi-homer season of his career. His solo shot to right to give the Sox a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth was his second dinger of the season and third of his major league career. Nava did not homer again in the 2010 season after blasting a grand slam in his first major-league at-bat.

- If there was concern about how Adrian Gonzalez could field the right field position, he took another step toward silencing those concerns in the bottom of the fourth inning. Gonzalez made a nice catch on a foul ball hit by Davis, pulling off the backhanded grab just a couple of feet before running into the wall in foul territory.

Gonzalez’ catch wouldn’t be the most critical to come in right field Wednesday, however. Che-Hsuan Lin, who came in previously as a pinch-runner for Youkilis an was moved to right field, saved the Red Sox’ bacon in the bottom of the eighth inning. With one out and runners on second and third, Lin made diving catch on a ball hit by Wilson Betemit. While the play scored Markakis, it forced Jones to stay put at second. Had the ball fallen in, Jones likely would have scored and tied the game.

- After Shoppach was unable to throw out Xavier Avery stealing second with a throw that bounced in the bottom of the second inning, Bard was able to get Avery on the same at-bat. Bard spotted Avery breaking for third and lobbed the ball to Youkilis, who tagged the baserunner on the head to end the inning.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

- The season-long walkathon for Bard continued, as he walked four Orioles in five innings on Wednesday. He now has 29 walks on the season compared to 28 strikeouts. Bard took over the team lead from Clay Buchholz (27 walks) in free passes Wednesday. In addition to walking four batters, Bard also hit Ryan Flaherty in the bottom of the second inning following Johnson’s homer. His lone strikeout of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning, when he got Andino with an 0-2 breaking ball. He also struck out Jones, the final batter he faced in the bottom of the sixth inning.

- David Ortiz cost himself a base hit in the top of the third inning by not running hard out of the batter’s box. With nobody out and Dustin Pedroia on second inning, Ortiz grounded one into shallow right field that Flaherty, playing second base in the shift, could only knock down. Because Ortiz didn’t turn the jets on in time, Flaherty was still able to recover and throw him out at first. Ortiz went 0-for-5 with a strikeout on the day.

- Youkilis was thrown out at the plate to end the third inning after Middlebrooks lined a double into left field. The hit drove in Dustin Pedroia, but Youkilis, who was coming from first base, slowed up as he turned the corner from third base. He picked up the pace when he finally realized that third base coach Jerry Royster had been waving him home the whole way, but it was an easy play for Avery, whose throw made it Exposito well in advance of Youkilis.

Bobby Valentine said that he continues to hold his breath about the health of Josh Beckett. (AP)

“Any nerves?”

Bobby Valentine, at Fenway Park for his first regular season game as Red Sox manager, was asked that question as he was nearing the end of his pregame session with the media. In response, he held out his flat hand in front of the mic, before breaking into a grin.

“There’s nerves. There’s anticipation,” he said. “It’s a beautiful day. Let’s go do it.”

Yet while enthusiastic about what he described as a “special day,” Valentine also acknowledged some anxiety, foremost for the health of starting pitcher Josh Beckett. Valentine said that the right-hander’s right thumb has been a non-issue in the training room, but even so, he conceded that the Sox are carrying a whopping 13 pitchers on their roster as a direct reflection of the fact that he wants to make sure that Beckett — who saw two specialists about his thumb last week — can get through his second start of the year with a clean bill of healthy.

“After today’s game, [the 13-man pitching staff] could be more of a resolvable situation, but I’m still holding my breath making sure Josh is fine,” said Valentine. “I was happy one time through the rotation, I was happy with the health and the ability of the starting staff. The extra pitcher was really protection against that situation.”

That said, asked whether that meant that the thumb is an active cause of concern, Valentine tried to downplay the notion that the pitcher’s health is in concern.

“It’s a moot point, but it’s a situation that was out there, right? He has not even blinked an eye in the training room or in the clubhouse about the thumb being anything other than a historical fact,” said Valentine. “He looked good this morning. He had a bounce in his step. He was ready to go. I’m looking forward to a quality pitcher pitching a quality game.”

Beckett was shelled for seven runs and five homers in 4 2/3 innings in his first start of the season. His velocity was also down that game. However, Beckett dismissed the idea that the thumb was responsible for his poor outing, and GM Ben Cherington said on the Dennis & Callahan Show that Beckett is continuing to build arm strength, suggesting that his diminished stuff in the start against the Tigers was not cause for concern.

OTHER NOTES

– Andrew Miller is reaching the latter stages of his rehab assignment in his return from a hamstring injury suffered midway through spring training. The left-hander logged 1 2/3 shutout innings on Thursday for Triple-A Pawtucket, recording two strikeouts and three groundball outs while allowing no hits and two walks (a runner also reached on an error). Read the rest of this entry »

Aaron Cook looked sharp in his Grapefruit League outing of the spring. (AP)

SARASOTA, Fla. — Aaron Cook had been deemed healthy this spring, but the Red Sox still charted a conservative course for the right-hander, mindful that he’d dealt with shoulder issues in each of the last two seasons. And so, the 32-year-old had to watch and wait as other starters — including the group of five pitchers with whom he is competing for a spot at the back of the rotation — made two and even three starts.

Sunday offered an unveiling for the 10-year big league veteran who signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox this winter after struggling to a 3-13 record and career-worst 6.03 ERA. He entered a Grapefruit League game against the Orioles in the bottom of the sixth inning, and offered glimpses of precisely what the Sox hoped they were getting when they bought low on the veteran this winter.

Cook worked at 88-91 mph, with several of his sinkers showing the characteristic hard, late downward bite that made him an anchor of the Rockies rotation for so long. He struggled to command while dealing with some butterflies in his first inning, walking two batters, but overall, it was an effective day. Cook logged two scoreless innings without giving up a hit, getting four groundball outs and even striking out a batter when he elevated a fastball against Wilson Betemit (“Trying to extend my game; I don’t want to put myself in a box,” joked Cook, who has the lowest strikeout rate (3.8 per nine innings) of any pitcher with at least 1,000 innings in the last decade).

It was, in short, a debut worth waiting for.

“It was kind of difficult [being held back], but I knew it was for the best and when you put your career first, you trust the trainers and do what they say and hopefully it’ll all work out,” said Cook. “I felt like a little kid. I was able to make some pitches and get out of the inning. Got a lot of groundball [outs] and that’s what I need to do.” Read the rest of this entry »

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington (AP)

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington held a conference call Thursday morning to explain what two of his recent roster moves would mean for the team going forward. On Tuesday, the Red Sox signed catcher Kelly Shoppach, who appeared in 87 games with the Rays during the 2011 season, to a one-year contract. The move seems to eliminate veteran backstop Jason Varitek as the primary backup to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but, during the conference call, Cherington still expressed a desire to keep Varitek around the club.

“We just feel like Shop helps us strengthen the position overall and helps compliment Salty,” Cherington said. “As far as Tek is concerned, we have incredible respect for Tek. I have incredible respect on a personal level. We, as an organization and ownership, have incredible respect for him and the contributions he’s made. Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way. As far as what that means immediately, what we want to do is keep talking to Tek and not discuss that in a public forum, but have an opportunity to continue talking to Tek and [agent Scott Boras] and figure out what’s best for the Red Sox and what’s best for him.”

- Cherington also discussed adding utility infielder Nick Punto, whom the Red Sox signed Wednesday, to the organization in order to strengthen play on the field and the dynamic within the clubhouse. Punto has seven seasons of American League experience, as he played for the Twins from 2004 – 2010. He spent last season with the World Series champion Cardinals with whom he played in 63 games, hit .278 and registered a .388 on-base percentage.

“Nick’s a guy we’ve had interest in in the past and the timing has never quite worked out to get him here,” Cherington said. “He’s a guy who plays really good defense, a smart baseball player. He gives you a good at-bat. He’s really good in the clubhouse. He’s just a smart, smart baseball player who understands his role on a winning team.”

- Cherington noted that, in light of the recent September collapse that sparked allegations of clubhouse disconnects, the Red Sox factor in clubhouse reputations in their discussions but do not use clubhouse character as a drive for their decisions.

“I think we felt that adding the guys that we’ve added, adding players who as a compliment are guys that get it and know how to win is important, but it’s just part of the equation,” Cherington said. “Nick’s a talented player too. He has good at-bats, plays good defense. He knows how to run the bases. He’s a smart player. He can play all over the infield and work in a lot of areas, so we’re just glad to have him. But the clubhouse dynamic is something that is an area of discussion but not necessarily the drive when we’re making these decisions.”

- Cherington noted that while the Red Sox believe recently acquired right-hander Mark Melancon could close for the team, the Red Sox are still leaving their options open as to who will pitch the ninth inning. Boston traded for Melancon on Wednesday, sending pitcher Kyle Weiland and infielder Jed Lowrie to the Astros in exchange for Melancon.

“We believe he’s definitely capable of closing and capable of pitching the ninth inning for us. But those are questions that [manager] Bobby [Valentine] and whoever else is the pitching coach, during Spring Training both will answer and figure out the right roles for,” Cherington said. “We feel pretty good about the way the back of the bullpen is shaping up. But there’s certainly time between now and Spring Training and we’re going to continue to look for ways to make the team better.”

- Cherington would not commit to who would close for the team at this point. He said that while the team prefers to have a definied closer before the start of the season, it is not a necessary requirement for Boston.

“I don’t think it’s completely necessary [to have a closer identified before Spring Training],” Cherington said. “We have in the past and there’s a couple years when we haven’t. I think that that we’d like to have a defined closer on Opening Day and we believe Melancon is fully capable of doing that. We’re willing to keep working on that and again, I think that Bobby will make those decisions with help from the pitching coach during Spring Training.”

The Red Sox have agreed to a one-year, $1.35 million deal with catcher Kelly Shoppach. (AP)

The writing had been on the wall for some time. Whenever he was asked about Jason Varitek this offseason, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said that he would inform the 15-year veteran if the team decided to go another direction. Now, it appears that the Sox have decided to go in another direction.

According to a major league source, the Red Sox have reached an agreement with catcher Kelly Shoppach on a one-year, $1.35 million deal. (The deal was first reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.) The contract is guaranteed.

Shoppach, taken with the Sox’ top pick in the 2001 draft, hit .176 (fifth lowest in the majors among the 355 players with 200 or more plate appearances) with a .268 OBP, .339 slugging mark, .607 OPS (325th in the majors) and 11 homers in 87 games with the Rays last season. It marked the third straight season in which the 31-year-old has seen declines in his average, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS since a career-best 2008 season in which Shoppach hit .261/.348/.517/.865 with 21 homers for the Indians.

However, Shoppach had far better numbers against left-handed pitchers. He hit .241 with a .344 OBP, .444 slugging mark, .788 OPS and seven homers against southpaws. Moreover, he threw out 41 percent of potential base-stealers last year, the top caught stealing percentage in the American League.

Shoppach made his big league debut with the Sox in 2005, playing nine games in the majors and going 0-for-15. He was traded that offseason to the Indians as part of the deal that resulted in the acquisition of center fielder Coco Crisp. Shoppach spent four years with the Indians before being traded to the Rays prior to the 2010 season.

The Sox had expressed a desire to have a veteran in spring training who would compete with Ryan Lavarnway for the job of a complement to expected starter Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Shoppach appears to be that catcher, something that would appear to render Varitek expendable. Moreover, the guaranteed deal for Shoppach also increases the likelihood that the Sox can return Lavarnway to Triple-A so that he can get regular playing time behind the plate to complete his minor league development. Read the rest of this entry »

Veteran Gerald Laird reportedly agreed to a contract with the Tigers (AP).

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported Thursday afternoon that veteran catcher Gerald Laird has agreed to a one-year deal with the Tigers pending a physical.

Laird, a 32-year-old catcher, spent two seasons with Detroit in 2009-10 before signing a million-dollar deal with the Cardinals last season. Laird played in 37 games with St. Louis, hitting .232 with a .302 OBP and 12 RBIs. He threw out four of 20 runners attempting to steal a base. Laird was on the World Series champion Cardinals roster and made four postseason appearances, mainly as a defensive replacement in the final innings of games.

In his two seasons with Detroit, Laird played in 224 games and hit .218 with a .289 OBP. He caught 38 percent of runners stealing and recorded 14 passed balls.

Laird is expected to play a backup role to Alex Avila with Detroit. The Tigers had reportedly been considering former Red Sox catcher Kelly Shoppach as an option in recent days before agreeing to a contract with Laird.

The Rays picked up the options on starting pitcher James Shields and reliever Kyle Farnsworth on Monday, while declining the option on catcher Kelly Shoppach, according to Tampa Bay Online.

The 29-year-old Shields led the league in complete games with 11 this past season. He also recorded a career-high 16 wins to go along with a 2.82 ERA and 225 strikeouts. His option for the 2012 season is worth $7.5 million.

“I’m glad the waiting is over,” Shields said. “I had a feeling they were going to pick it up, but it’s good to know.”

Farnsworth had a career-high 25 saves in 2011 and will make $3.3 million in 2012.

Shoppach’s $3.2 million option was decline for next year, as the Rays paid the catcher a $300,000 buyout, but Tampa Bay may still consider resigning him.