Wakefield pitches well against Twins

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - Justin Morneau and Tim Wakefield each made encouraging returns to the field after a long offseason dealing with back injuries.

Morneau marked his return to Minnesota with a two-run double and Wakefield tossed two scoreless innings for Boston in his first post-surgery appearance in a 5-0 victory by the Twins over the Red Sox on Friday.

"I know what it's been like to sit and watch for a while. It's not fun," said Mauer, who missed all of last spring training with a lower back injury but still went on to win the AL MVP. "He got that first one out of the way, and he can focus on getting ready for the year."

Same for Wakefield, who is eyeing the fifth starter spot in Boston's deep rotation.

Wakefield had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back last October. The 43-year-old knuckleballer worked the third and fourth innings, throwing 16 of his 21 pitches for strikes, with one hit and no walks.

Wakefield earned his first All-Star appearance last season but struggled in the second half. He had no wins in limited action after the break and finished the year 11-5 with a 4.58 ERA.

"I felt really good," Wakefield said. "I felt like my timing was there. I was able to throw a lot of strikes. Physically, I felt fine. I was just happy to get the first one out of the way and get ready for the season."

Red Sox manager Terry Francona liked what he saw.

"He's on the regular rotation," Francona said. "If he says he needs an extra day we can always build that in. I don't anticipate that happening."

Jon Lester wasn't as sharp. He gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in one inning before being pulled.

"I'll make some adjustments," Lester said. "I made a couple of good pitches. I'll build on those. It's the first one. We've got a lot more. There were some jitters and some excitement there, and that's going to throw off your timing and your rhythm, too."