Even at the age of 37 and less than a year separated from an Achilles injury, David Ortiz can still hit with the best of them. The slugger entered tonight’s game against the Twins with a .999 OPS, including five home runs and 23 RBI in 98 trips to the plate. Since joining the club on April 20 after a stint on the 15-day DL, Ortiz has been his team’s best and most consistent source of offense, which is saying a lot considering their options -- Dustin Pedroia, for instance, has a .438 on-base percentage.
Ortiz hit two more home runs tonight: a three-run shot against Twins starter Scott Diamond in the first inning, and a two-run shot against reliever Anthony Swarzak in the seventh. He finished the night with three hits, a walk, and six RBI as the Red Sox won 12-5. Pedro Ciriaco was the only member of the lineup not to log a hit. At the time of Ortiz’s homer in the seventh, the Sox were clutching tightly their 7-5 lead, but were finally allowed to breathe a sigh of relief with the added insurance provided by the tenured slugger.
Recently in the news for the wrong reasons thanks to Dan Shaughnessy, you have to imagine his recent offensive tear -- he went 3-for-5 yesterday -- tastes extra sweet.
