Projo Sox Blog

When players are slumping, they say that every break goes against them. David Ortiz is proving that when players get hot, luck will put them on base in strange ways.

Ortiz is batting .333 over his last 14 games, and he's getting on base in ways both big and small. In the first inning, he clubbed a home run over the Green Monster, his sixth of the year. The opposite field shot is a great indication that he's going well, he said.

"When I'm swinging good, that's how it happens," Ortiz said.

Then in the third, Ortiz popped up a sky-high ball to the left side of the infield. Shortstop Yunel Escobar and third baseman Chipper Jones both looked up at it, but neither appeared to call the ball. It dropped harmlessly in front of Escobar, scored as a base hit.

It wasn't the first time Ortiz had been the benefit of some great luck recently.

Tuesday, Ortiz popped up to the edge of the infield, and Florida's Dan Uggla and Emilio Bonifacio collided on the play, allowing the ball to fall in safely.

Of course, his manager will take both the long balls and the fluke pop-ups -- but the recent power surge has him expecting the big hits to come.

"He's back to being that big threat. You make a mistake and he can hit it a long way. That's very welcoming for us," Terry Francona said.

 Tags  Boston Red Sox Dan Barbarisi David Ortiz Terry Francona

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