"Dustin Pedroia was out of the Red Sox starting lineup last night for the first time in two months.

"He needed it,'' manager Terry Francona said before the Sox lost, 5-2, to the Twins with Mike Aviles starting at second base. "I kept telling him the last couple of days that I was going to check with him. He was fighting me on it the last two days.

"Then last night after the game, he said, 'Yeah I'm tired.' This will be good for him. He doesn't have the game hanging over his head and he can relax a little bit.''"