BOSTON — The last two games have been night and day for David Ortiz and the Red Sox.
Tuesday night saw the Sox leave 15 runners on base in a frustrating 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park, in which Ortiz went 1-for-5 and stranded five runners. But on Wednesday night, everything went right, as Big Papi racked up three RBIs to lead Boston to an 11-6 win over Texas at Fenway Park.
If you’ll recall, Ortiz made a few headlines Tuesday when cameras caught him breaking his bat over his knee — after his only hit of the night, no less. The Boston designated hitter was in a better mood after Wednesday’s game, so he decided to explain the outburst.
“It was broken already,” Ortiz said with a laugh. “What people need to understand is that, when we are playing, we’re going through a lot of emotions, and it’s not that you’re trying to embarrass anybody or show anybody up. It’s just emotion that popped up, and that’s how the game is.”
Ortiz then was asked if expressing that frustration helps him maintain better focus going forward. He was quick with a response.
“Well, I went deep (Wednesday night),” Ortiz said.
Indeed, Big Papi blasted a huge two-run homer in the first inning that gave him 20 on the season and moved him up a notch in Major League Baseball’s history books.
Ortiz continues to impress at the plate, but that hasn’t quieted continued concerns about his health in his final season. Yet the 40-year-old insists he’s taking proper care of his body and won’t overwork himself as he gets set to attend his 10th MLB All-Star Game.
“I’ll be fine,” Ortiz said. “I’ve been managing myself overall. I’ve gotten through the first half of the season and I feel good right now. Hopefully we’ll be facing the same situation at the end of the season.”
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Let’s hit a few other notes from Red Sox-Rangers:
— Travis Shaw exited the game following the sixth inning with a left foot contusion after fouling a ball off his foot. The Red Sox third baseman had a fluoroscan done on the foot that was inconclusive, per manager John Farrell, but will go for precautionary X-rays Thursday.
“He swelled up pretty good after a fall ball off the left foot,” Farrell said of Shaw. “We’ll have a better read on his situation (Thursday).”
— Wednesday’s game marked the 52nd time the Red Sox have scored five or more runs this season, the most in the majors. They’re 41-11 in those contests, compared to just 5-27 when they score fewer than five runs.
— Mookie Betts continues to be an excellent table-setter for Boston. His 2-for-5 effort with an RBI and a run scored marked the All-Star outfielder’s 38th multi-hit game, which leads the American League. Betts has tallied multiple hits in nine of his last 13 games.
— Left fielder/catcher Blake Swihart is progressing well in his rehab from a sprained left ankle and took batting practice Wednesday from both sides of the plate. There’s still no timetable for his return, however.
“Hitting on the right side has just happened in the last two days,” Farrell said of Swihart. “He’s still finding the ground underneath his feet, in a very layman’s term, particularly when he’s on defense. So, that’s just been gradually initiated. Very passive defensive work. Really no timeframe as of yet.”
— Chris Young’s outlook looks less promising, as the Red Sox left fielder has yet to do fielding or hitting work while recovering from a right hamstring injury.
“Strengthening, rehabbing, no baseball activities,” Farrell said. “I don’t have a timeframe for when the baseball activities will begin. It won’t be before the break, I know that.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
