--RHP Brad Penny was scratched from his first scheduled spring start because of fatigue in his right shoulder, but Red Sox officials were insisting that the move was made for precautionary reasons with a pitcher returning from arm problems. Penny was checked out by team doctors and will be cleared for his first spring start once he gets through a side session without setbacks.

"I think everybody came away real pleased with how it went," manager Terry Francona said. "It was nice to hear (the doctor) come in and say, 'Hey, he had a good examination.' It was nice to hear Brad be real upbeat about his throwing."

--OF J.D. Drew flew to Boston to get a cortisone injection administered to his ailing lower back to alleviate some lingering discomfort that hampered him at the end of last season. The right fielder received the shot March 2, and returned to spring training action later in the week going 0-for-3 in his first game back. Drew's hope is that he won't need any more injections to loosen his cranky back, but doctors have told him he could have as many 3-4 cortisone shots during the season.

"It can be years before I have to have another one," Drew said. "Or it could be months down the road. I don't know. My thing was to see if it would work, to see if it would break the cycle of inflammation."

--RHP Jonathan Papelbon is working on introducing the slider back into his fastball/split-finger repertoire. The 28-year-old closer felt that his fastball/splitter combo was still effective, but a usable slider could make his already dominant fastball more devastating this season. "It has nothing to do with me relying on too much of a pitch," Papelbon said to the Boston Globe. "All it is, it's going to put that one extra thing into the hitter's mind, that I've got this pitch and I can still throw it. It's just going to make my other pitches better."

--RHP Daniel Bard sent some ripples of excitement through Red Sox spring training when he topped out at 100-mph during an exhibition game against the Puerto Rican WBC entry. The Red Sox prospect is enjoying his first big-league spring training experience, and struck out SS Mike Aviles on the century-mark heater. Bard, who posted some gaudy minor league numbers as a reliever last season, is expected to start the season at Class AAA, but could conceivably contribute to Boston's bullpen at some point this season.

"He's got major league stuff, there's no doubt about it," pitching coach John Farrell said. "And well above-average major league stuff, when you grade out each pitch individually. He has been outstanding thus far."

--C Josh Bard has caught RHP Tim Wakefield multiple times thus far in spring training, and it appears that the Boston backstop could be working with the knuckleballer this season. It's expected that Bard will receive more playing time than C Jason Varitek's catching partners have received in the past, a sensible notion to save the legs and energy levels of the 36-year-old Varitek. C George Kottaras also is in the mix for Boston's backup catcher job this spring, but it appears that the switch-hitting Bard is in the driver's seat.

BY THE NUMBERS: 100 -- Miles per hour recorded on the radar gun of a fastball thrown by RHP Daniel Bard during an appearance against Puerto Rico's WBC team last week.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "To me personally, I feel like if I'm good with my fastball, I can go out on any given day and throw nothing but fastballs and be successful." -- RHP Jonathan Papelbon on his mindset pitching out of the closer's role.