Boston Red Sox Offense Awakes from Brief Slumber

way as the Mariners, the team Lester was originally signed by, tacked on another run in the fourth. But, just like the Red Sox’s, their advantage would last.

Ellsbury tomahawked a Morrow hanging changeup deep to right field for his fifth home run, cutting the deficit in half. The score remained that way until the bottom of the following inning, when Boston reminded Seattle which team is superior

Drew worked a one-out walk. Pedroia moved him over to second base with a single. Youkilis, a tremendous hitter with runners in scoring position, failed to come through, flying out, unable to even drive it deep enough to move Drew to third. Youkilis was mad, but his frustration had soon eased. This was because Ortiz strode to the plate.

Two months ago, I wouldn’t have been excited about this. Then, the chances of him driving in a run would have been slim to none. Instead of anticipating an RBI-single, I would have wondered in what way he would make an out. He’s was playing that poor.

Oh, what a difference two months make. Now, considering he hit .320 in June, I expected him to be the clutch Ortiz of old. The one that beat the New York Yankees in historic fashion in the 2004 ALCS on the Red Sox way to ending their 86-year curse. He showed up.

Because he’s a pull hitter, infielders shift considerably to the right. So much so that the left side of the infield is wide open. Throughout his career, Ortiz hasn’t taken advantage, and he didn’t in this instance either. Nonetheless, he ripped a single in between the first baseman, who was holding the runner at first, and the second baseman, who was playing shallow left-field.

Drew scored the tying run. Ortiz rounded first, then trotted back to the bag, took off his elbow pad, and celebrated with first-base coach Tim Bogar. The Fenway crowd clapped profusely. When he was in the midst of his slump, he vowed to return. Well, he has.

Mark Lowe relieved Morrow, but didn’t provide much relief. Bay walked on four pitches to load the bases. Ellsbury, with two-out, had a prime opportunity to break the game open.

Patiently, the second-year centerfielder watched pitch after pitch narrowly miss the strikezone. He didn’t even swing, but thanks to his good eye at the plate, he drove in a run anyway, walking once Lowe’s fifth fastball miss outside.

Mark Kotsay, who has filled the shoes of the injured Mike Lowell superbly, added some insurance, plating Ortiz and Bay with a screamer to leftfield.

Sean White replaced Lowe, but couldn’t keep the lead from growing. The first pitch he threw evaded catcher Kenji Johjima. Ellsbury sped home for their eighth and final run.

Boston avoided a sweep, and, thanks to a rejuvenated offense sparked by Ortiz and Ellsbury, the AL East leader got back on track.

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