BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates got exactly what they were looking for from their opening day starter.

After learning he’ll start the April 5 opener, Kip Wells responded with his best outing this spring, but the Boston Red Sox rallied against Pittsburgh’s unsettled bullpen for a 5-1 victory Friday.

Wells, who entered 0-2 with a 12.60 ERA, allowed two hits and an earned run, walked three and struck out two in five innings. By comparison, he yielded 14 runs in 10 innings over his first three exhibition starts. The right-hander, who was 10-9 with a 3.28 ERA last season, figures to make one more start before pitching the season opener against the Phillies. Boston’s only run off Wells came on Doug Mirabelli’s RBI double on a 3-2 pitch in the second.

“I feel like I’ve got the ability to go out there and do that for them and I’m more than happy and honored to be the opening day starter,” Wells said. “I think that’s something every starter strives for.”

Wells doesn’t think it was a coincidence that he had his best start after getting the news from manager Lloyd McClendon.

“Being the opening day starter, you want to go out there and affirm his decision,” Wells said. “Just having that gives you that much more confidence.”

Bronson Arroyo, a Pirates castoff who will start the season as Boston’s No. 5 starter, took advantage of a strong wind blowing in from center field to pitch even more effectively than Wells. Arroyo gave up a run and four hits over six innings, striking out four and walking one.

“It’s like pitching against your old high school,” said Arroyo, who was 9-14 for the Pirates from 2000-02.

The right-hander has pitched effectively in all but one of his five appearances and has allowed just two runs over 13 innings in his last three games.

“I feel pretty stretched out now,” Arroyo said. “One or two more (outings) down here would be perfect.”

Boston took the lead with a four-run seventh against reliever Mark Guthrie on minor leaguer Jimmy Alvarez’s two-run double, Cesar Crespo’s RBI double and David McCarty’s run-scoring grounder.

Guthrie, signed to a minor league contract, is 0-3 with 12 earned runs allowed in 8 1-3 innings (12.96 ERA) and is in danger of not making the Pirates’ staff.

Notes: Frank Brooks, selected by Oakland from Pittsburgh during the winter meeting draft, pitched a scoreless ninth for Boston. He was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox last week. Alan Embree and Lenny DiNardo preceded Brooks with a scoreless inning each. … Pirates CF Tike Redman has at least one hit in 12 of his 15 starts.

AP-ES-03-26-04 1716EST