BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Oliver Perez needed to do only one thing to convince the Pittsburgh Pirates he was their opening day starter: return to the mound.

Perez, slowed earlier in camp by shoulder stiffness, lasted four innings in his second spring training start Sunday to beat the Boston Red Sox 5-3, then was told he would start the April 4 opener against Milwaukee.

“He’s extremely happy and excited,” manager Lloyd McClendon said.

Perez had pitched only one inning against major league hitters this spring before giving up three runs and three hits, including Adam Hyzdu’s three-run homer in the second.

The left-hander was in control for most of his outing, only to walk Doug Mirabelli with two outs and give up Kevin Youkalis’ double ahead of Hyzdu’s drive with the Pirates leading 5-0.

“He was a little boneheaded at times with his pitch selection, but he’s still my man,” McClendon said. “He overthrew at times but, other than that, he was fine.”

Perez learned of his opening day start after leaving the game.

“I have to be ready for it,” he said. “Everybody wants to be that pitcher. My arm feels very good and everything is fine.”

Perez gave the Pirates a scare last month when he supposedly slept awkwardly on his shoulder, causing the discomfort. He didn’t throw for 10 days, then was limited to 26 and 40 pitches in his first two outings in game-type situations.

“I was a little nervous when I hurt my shoulder, but I feel great now and I’m still working to get stronger,” Perez said. Perez gave every sign in his first full major league season last year that he could soon be one of baseball’s top starters. He was 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA that ranked sixth among NL starters, and his 2.21 home ERA led the league. His average of 11 strikeouts per nine innings topped the majors, and his 239 strikeouts were the third-most in Pirates history.

Perez is likely to face Brewers All-Star pitcher Ben Sheets in the opener, which will be the first NL game played this season.

“He’s a great competitor and he loves being in the spotlight,” McClendon said. “I think he’ll thrive in that kind of atmosphere.”

Craig Wilson hit a three-run homer – his fourth of the spring – and Tike Redman and Jose Castillo had RBI singles in the first against John Halama, who is expected to be a long reliever when the season starts. Halama’s ERA jumped from 4.50 to 9.00 as he gave up five runs and seven hits in three innings.

Five Red Sox pitchers combined to shut out Pittsburgh over the final eight innings, with Byung-Hyun Kim pitching a scoreless fourth in only his third appearance.

Kim had pitched only 2 2-3 innings this spring, hardly enough time for the Red Sox to decide whether he fits into their bullpen or should be traded.

Notes: Manny Ramirez, who sat out Saturday with a stiff back, went 0-for-3. OF Johnny Damon remained out with a bacterial skin infection. … The Pirates, coming off 12 consecutive losing seasons, only wish this kind of success carried over to the regular season: They are a combined 5-1-1 against the Yankees (3-1-1), Red Sox (1-0) and Braves (1-0). … The Pirates made 11 roster cuts Sunday, none involving any major league players.

AP-ES-03-20-05 1856EST