Much lost in win

It had all the pomp of a Fenway Park [map] opener, from the American flag draped over the Green Monster to the twin first pitches thrown by the retired Tim Wakefield [stats] and Jason Varitek [stats]. And it produced a convincing victory for a Red Sox [team stats] team that needed one in the worst way. But it also featured a look the Sox hoped never to see again from Jacoby Ellsbury [stats]. It was a grimace reminiscent of when Ellsbury broke five ribs in an April 11, 2010 collision with then-teammate Adrian Beltre. Ellsbury missed all but 18 games that season, and without their leadoff-hitting Gold Glove center fielder, the Red Sox missed the playoffs. So, when Ellsbury walked off the field, his right arm pinned to his body, after the fourth inning of yesterday’s 12-2 win against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox held their breath. And when he left Fenway to go for tests at Massachusetts General Hospital, they only could hope his right shoulder injury looked much worse than it actually was. “That looked painful,” said David Ortiz [stats], who winced and shouted an expletive after seeing the replay on a clubhouse television. “Hopefully things don’t go the way it looked like in the video. He’s our leadoff hitter. You’re not going to get any better by losing him for a while. We’ll see.” Ellsbury’s right arm was trailing behind his body as he slid into second base to try to break up a double play in the bottom of the fourth inning. Rays shortstop Reid Brignac leaped in the air to make the pivot and landed with his full weight on Ellsbury’s shoulder. By the time manager Bobby Valentine got out to second base, Ellsbury was writhing on the dirt. Shortly thereafter, when Ortiz went to check on him in the trainer’s room, Ellsbury was having difficulty raising his arm high enough to take off his jersey. “The only thing we’ve even heard is probably the same thing that everyone has been hearing, which is that it felt like something moved a little bit,” third baseman Kevin Youkilis [stats] said. “We always hope for the best. We know that if it’s for the best, then it won’t be long, and Jake will come back and do great things for this team.” For now, the Red Sox are making contingency plans. Valentine said they likely will make a roster move before today’s game. Outfield prospect Che-Hsuan Lin was scratched from the lineup last night for Triple-A Pawtucket and may be on the way to Boston. The injury overshadowed an otherwise perfect day for the Red Sox, who got eight brilliant innings from Josh Beckett [stats] and a long-awaited eruption against Rays ace David Price by an offense that led the majors in runs scored last season. Backup catcher Kelly Shoppach, who spent the past two seasons with Tampa Bay, led the 16-hit barrage by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI and his first career stolen base, which featured a slide that could serve as the lead-in to any baseball blooper reel. The Red Sox won their eighth consecutive home opener, extending a club record. Today, they will attempt to win back-to-back games for the first time since sweeping a doubleheader last Aug. 27. Beckett set the tone, while also allaying some of Valentine’s lingering concerns about a bothersome right thumb that required the opinions of two specialists last week. After being pounded for seven runs last Saturday in Detroit, Beckett gave up a second-inning RBI single by Jeff Keppinger, then retired 21-of-24 batters. “It was just what the doctor ordered,” Valentine said, medical pun unintended. “We were wondering and hoping, and he relieved all doubt. That’s the performance we were looking for.” Added Adrian Gonzalez: “Josh did what Josh does. He had an incredible year last year. We know he’s going to do it again this year.” A few more outings like that and Beckett won’t hear any of the boos that greeted him during pregame introductions, a product of his role in last year’s beer-and-chicken flap.