Pitcher: Red Sox will spring back from fall

CLEARWATER, Fla.— The Philadelphia Phillies, Jonathan Papelbon’s new team, were bummed about not making it to the World Series last year after winning 102 regular- season games.

The Boston Red Sox, Papelbon’s former team, were viewed in some quarters as outright bums for not making the playoffs, going 7- 20 in a stretch drive during which, The Boston Globe reported, some pitchers consumed beer, munched on fried chicken and played video games in the clubhouse during games.

Saturday, Papelbon said he expected his former team to bounce back.

Sunday, Red Sox pitchers Josh Beckett and Jon Lester issued what amounted to partial apologies for their roles in the Boston collapse that led to Terry Francona’s exit as manager.

Beckett acknowledged “lapses in judgment” but wasn’t specific about names and details. “I can’t speak for everybody else,” Beckett told news reporters at the Red Sox’s Fort Myers, Fla., training complex. “I want to keep it at that. I can’t speak for Jon or John ( Lackey) or Clay ( Buchholz) or ( Tim Wakefield) or anybody. We made mistakes in the clubhouse. That’s about as far as I’ll go talking about the clubhouse.”

Lester said the team stunk in September. “We didn’t play very good,” he said. “And with all of the other stuff added on top of that, it’s obviously going to make it worse.

“I don’t blame ( fans) for being mad. We stunk. I stunk. I take complete responsibility.”

Both pitchers conceded the Red Sox must win back the confidence of their fans.

“We need to earn that trust back,” Beckett said. “The way we’ve got to do that is just go about our business the way we have in previous years: win ballgames.”

New manager Bobby Valentine seems pleased with his players’ willingness to accept a share of the blame for what went wrong and move on.

“Attitude filters down,” Valentine said. “When you see Josh Beckett and Jon Lester here ( in camp early), they are at the top of the pyramid as far as pitchers are concerned. They’ve been showing fantastic attitude.”

Speaking to Philadelphia and Boston news reporters Saturday, Papelbon, who blew the save in the Red Sox’s loss on the final night of the regular season, said he did not see discipline run amok in the clubhouse.

“Nobody truly knows what was truly going on,” he said. “I don’t truly know, because I ( was) worried about myself and doing my own job. Just because somebody struggles or a team struggles doesn’t mean someone’s not doing what they’re supposed to be doing.

“Is that why we lost? No. That had nothing to do about it. I never saw ( anything) or had to go up to somebody ( and say), ‘ Get your act together.’ ”

Papelbon said he expected the Red Sox, who filled his roster spot by trading for former Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey, to have a good season. “There’s too many good guys in that clubhouse — too many competitors, too many guys who have too much pride to just lay down,” he said. “Those guys are going to work hard.”

Papelbon, who signed a fouryear, $ 50 million deal with the Phillies, says he won’t look ahead to possibly facing the Red Sox in the World Series any more than he’s looking back at 2011. “But I do know when we play the Red Sox,” Papelbon said. That will be May 18- 20 in Philadelphia.

By Matt Slocum, AP Rally time: Jonathan Papelbon, throwing during a workout with the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla., said he expected his previous team, the Red Sox, to come back strong after going 7- 20 to finish last season.