Maybe now the insanity will end. Maybe now we can settle down and watch the Red Sox do what they do without the constant “what’s wrong with David Ortiz?” chatter in the background. One grand slam does not mean he’s out of his slump but a couple of bad weeks does not mean his career is on the decline either. The Fenway Faithful know that to be true, as evidenced by their support last night:
Following the walks, Ortiz — hitting just .109 when he came up — walked slowly to the plate. The crowd, seemingly trying to help get the slugger on track, gave him a standing ovation. On the first pitch, he lofted a fly ball into the Green Monster seats’ first row, and was serenaded with chants of “Papi, Papi” when he reached the dugout.
And his teammates know what he’s about:
“He creates lift in a crowd regardless of whether he has a hit or not,” Varitek said. “He’s Big Papi for a reason.”
When Ortiz reached the dugout, his teammates gave him the “silent treatment” before mobbing him.
Ortiz left the clubhouse before speaking to reporters after the game, but said on the club’s flagship radio station postgame show: “My teammates are the best. They are so happy to see me come through.”
Dice-K handled things on the mound for the first five, then seemed to tire quickly in the sixth before being lifted in the blow-out. Lopez and Aardsma shut the door until the ninth, when Mike Timlin was called on. Seeing him get through a perfect ninth was a smaller-scale version of the relief we felt when Ortiz went deep. We needed it. He needed it.
Sometimes a Yankee loss makes me almost as happy as a Sox win. Phil Hughes dropped to 0-3 last night, giving up five runs in five-and-a-third to the O’s. His ERA is now a very un-Johan-like 8.82. And the soon-to-be over-used LaTroy Hawkins got touched for three runs while getting just one out.
Tonight we get Lester, and I have no idea what to expect.
