FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Kyle Lohse was in a hurry to get outs, not surprising for a pitcher whose last game was 15 days earlier.

Cincinnati’s No. 4 starter, who faced only six batters before leaving that first outing with a hamstring injury, allowed three hits and no walks in five shutout innings in the Reds’ 2-1 win Saturday over the Boston Red Sox.

Pitching coach Dick Pole “gave me a mission to try to go out there and get first-pitch outs,” Lohse said. “Going out there with that mentality, you’re going to get ahead of guys and force them to put the ball in play early in the count.”

Of Boston’s first seven batters, four put the ball in play on the first pitch – three outs and a double by Wily Mo Pena, who was stranded at second.

“I felt really strong,” said Lohse, who struck out three. “I don’t even count that last time out as being an outing because it was short.”

In that game at Minnesota, the team that traded him last July 31, his right hamstring tightened up when he covered first base.

He hit the next batter, Torii Hunter, in the helmet with a pitch. Hunter wasn’t injured seriously and Lohse left the game after hitting him.

In his last inning Saturday, Lohse hit Dustin Pedroia on the knuckle below his left pinky. Pedroia came out of the game but said he was fine.

“I get two strikes on guys and I think with me they look for sliders away and maybe that hurts their reaction time,” said Lohse, who threw a fastball inside to Pedroia. “You’ve got to pitch inside and every once in a while it gets away.”

Lohse pitched in two simulated games after his brief outing March 2 and said he’s right on schedule now that his hamstring is better.

“He was pretty good out there,” Reds manager Jerry Narron said. “He threw strikes. He was very efficient.”

Cincinnati’s runs came off Jonathan Papelbon, making his first start in his transition from dominant closer to No. 4 starter for Boston. He had pitched five relief innings in his first two outings then allowed three runs in 3 2-3 innings last Monday in a minor league game.

“I felt really, really good today,” he said. “The only thing today that I really am not pleased about is that I didn’t really pound the (strike) zone and get ahead of guys.”

Papelbon allowed a homer on his seventh pitch of the game to leadoff hitter Chris Denorfia. In the third, Denorfia singled and stole second. Papelbon struck out the next two batters before Adam Dunn singled Denorfia home.

“I actually thought today at the end of the game (was) one of the best fastballs he threw,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “The umpire actually stopped me and said the same thing.”

Boston scored in the eighth on Manny Ramirez’s double, his first extra-base hit of spring training, and Bobby Scales’ single.

Notes:The Red Sox made six moves that reduced their training camp roster to 41 players. Lefty Craig Breslow, catcher George Kottaras and outfielder Brandon Moss were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Righties Runelvys Hernandez and Travis Hughes and infielder Ed Rogers, all non-roster invitees, were sent to the minor league camp. … In separate minor league games, Cincinnati’s Eric Milton allowed one run and four hits and Boston’s Tim Wakefield pitched five scoreless innings, giving up two hits and no walks and striking out four.

AP-ES-03-17-07 1758EDT