Brad Penny pitched two innings of a minor league intrasquad game Friday at the Boston Red Sox’s player development complex, his first spring training outing since shoulder fatigue cut short a bullpen session on March 1.

The right-hander allowed one run on one hit – a leadoff home run by David Mailman – with a strikeout and a walk.

With Josh Bard catching, Penny threw 33 pitches – 20 for strikes – using his complete repertoire of fastball, curveball and changeup. His fastball reached the low 90s, Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said. “It felt good,” Penny said. “Command wasn’t as good as it was in (batting practice), but it was the first time facing hitters so I was kind of just concentrating on putting more effort behind the ball. I felt like it was coming out good.”

Penny has yet to appear in a spring game with the Red Sox. He was scratched from a scheduled March 4 start against Puerto Rico.

Shoulder ailments last season limited him to 19 starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished with a record of 6-9 and 6.27 ERA.

“Very encouraging, again,” Farrell said of Penny’s outing. “Physically no restrictions. The arm speed was, I thought, improved over the last couple of side sessions.”

Penny is now on a regular, five-day progression, and scheduled to next pitch in a game on Wednesday. With the big league team off that day, he’s expected to throw 45 pitches in a minor league game at the complex against a Minnesota Twins minor league squad. “Everything was healthy, no pain, didn’t really get tired,” Penny said. “Looking forward to the next one in five days.”

With off-days early in the regular season schedule, manager Terry Francona said Penny does not need to be ready for opening day. He said the team won’t need a fifth starter until April 12 at the earliest.

“I think it’s realistic, but again in our view, getting him ready appropriately is much more important than just shooting at one date and making a mistake,” said Francona.

AP-ES-03-13-09 1839EDT

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