Boston @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( May 14, 2010 ) Boston 7, Detroit 2
Maybe the talk of the demise of Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was a bit premature. It could be that he's just a slow starter.
Fresh off hitting two home runs on Friday night, Ortiz and the Red Sox face the Detroit Tigers on Saturday in the second of a three-game set at Comerica Park.
Ortiz's struggles persisted throughout the entire first half of the 2009 season. He then rebounded to finish the season with respectable power numbers of 28 home runs and 99 RBIs.
While those numbers were a far cry from All-Star seasons like in 2006 when he had 54 home runs and 137 RBIs, his batting average of .238 remained the biggest concern amongst Red Sox nation. Most fans felt that this season's dismal start was a sure sign that he is at the end of the line.
Since the calendar turned the page to May, however, Ortiz has immediately picked things up.
He has five homers and 11 RBIs in his last nine games - and is batting at a .353 clip. In that span, Ortiz has elevated his batting average 70 points to .213.
On Friday he proved he can still be a difference maker. After Dustin Pedroia homered to give Boston a 2-0 lead just two batters into the contest, Ortiz made it 5-0 with a three-run homer as the Red Sox assaulted struggling Tigers' starter Max Scherzer.
Ortiz was given the green light on a 3-0 count and fouled the pitch off. He then turned around Scherzer's next pitch, a fastball and sent it 453 feet.
Ortiz hit another long homer in the fourth, his sixth of the year, to make it 6-0 and the Red Sox cruised to a 7-2 victory.
Now platooning against some left-handers, the Red Sox may sit Ortiz Saturday for veteran Mike Lowell as the Tigers turn to Dontrelle Willis.
Willis (1-1) missed his last start with a sinus infection and hasn't pitched since May 4 when he didn't figure in the decision in a 4-3 loss to Minnesota. He posted a 3-0 victory over the Twins in his prior start.
The Red Sox will counter with Jon Lester (3-2) in the second game of their five-game road trip. Lester has become a workhorse for Boston. He has thrown over 100 pitches in every start this season except his opener.
Lester is 3-0 in his last four starts with an ERA of 0.98.
While Ortiz has turned things around, the entire Boston offense has heated up. Boston is second in the majors in slugging percentage and among the league leaders in most offensive categories. They now have 48 home runs on the season.
The Red Sox announced that Josh Beckett will throw a side session Saturday - and if it goes well, he will start Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. That seems like a curious place for Beckett to make his return. A week ago Beckett allowed nine runs and hit two batters in a loss to the Yankees.