Papi: Nothing personal Ramirez sits again
Ortiz’ interest not in stats, just top effort
MIAMI — David Ortiz already reached his 425th plate appearance, guaranteeing he’ll be back with the Red Sox next season for at least $11 million, though that could get as high as $16 million if he reaches 600 plate appearances this year.
Now he’s making that contract look like a bargain.
Ortiz slammed his 24th and 25th home runs of the season during the Red Sox’ 14-6 loss to the Marlins yesterday, reaching Nos. 490 and 491 for his career as he sits just nine away from becoming the 27th player to hit 500 home runs. Babe Ruth was the first to do it in 1929.
As hot as Ortiz has been lately, it’s becoming likely the 39-year-old will hit his 500th this season.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just going to keep on swinging, not trying to put any pressure on myself, just trying to put a good swing on it when I’m at the plate. Hopefully.”
From June 11 through Aug. 11 he ranked eighth in the majors with a .984 OPS, behind only Mike Trout, J.D. Martinez, Lorenzo Cain, Carlos Gonzalez, Bryce Harper, Nelson Cruz and Manny Machado.
And with 19 homers in his last 52 games, he’s third behind only Gonzalez and Martinez (20 homers each) in that span.
“He’s certainly locked in, squaring up a number of different types of pitches,” Sox manager John Farrell said.
His first homer yesterday, a 432-foot shot off Marlins rookie Adam Conley, was the third-longest hit by a visiting player at Marlins Park this year, according to ESPN. His second was a two-run bomb in the seventh inning off Chris Narveson.
In front of a heavily supportive crowd, Ortiz was applauded for much of the two-game series. But hitting homers when his team is well out of the pennant race doesn’t do much for him.
“Hey look, I’m not trying to really accomplish any personal thing, just trying to play the game the way I’m supposed to play it,” he said. “If I’m swinging the bat good I’m going to try to put a good swing on the pitch every time. That’s me. That’s how I play the game. But that’s all I can do, all I can control.”
Ortiz compared the situation to 2006, when he was chasing the club record on his way to 54 homers.
“Yeah, I’ve been in that situation before,” he said. “I remember I think in ’06 when I hit those 54 homers. It wasn’t going anywhere but fans love keeping track of that kind of stuff. It’s fun.”
E-Rod off mark
With each poorly located fastball Eduardo Rodriguez is making us forget his historic three-game start to his career in the majors.
Instead he’s reminding us he’s a far-from-polished 22-year-old pitcher, albeit an uber-talented one.
Rodriguez was rocked for eight runs on nine hits in five-plus innings.
While it was once considered an issue of pitch-tipping in Rodriguez’ poor starts, it’s since become more of an issue of wild control. Since beginning his career while allowing three hits or less and striking out seven in each of his first three starts, Rodriguez has a 6.40 ERA in 572⁄ innings.
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“He pulled some pitches across the plate, missed to his arm side on a couple of occasions,” Farrell said. “To say this is all the result of tipping, I’m not going there. And I know that becomes kind of the common theme that everybody will look to seek out. But to me, it was more he got behind in some counts, fastballs found some of the plate and they squared them up.”
Rodriguez didn’t think pitch tipping was an issue. “I think in the last inning my pitches were more up in the zone,” he said, “that’s what I think was the difference.”
A plan of action
Clay Buchholz is still hoping to pitch again for the Red Sox this season.
“That’s what we’re shooting for,” he said.
The original estimated downtime after Buchholz received a platelet-rich plasma injection on July 22 was 4-6 weeks, and that hasn’t changed, Buchholz said.
He made his second visit to Dr. James Andrews, who informed Buchholz he could start throwing pretty soon.
“Look at the calendar, there’s not a whole lot of days left,” Buchholz said yesterday. “I’d like it to be sooner rather than later. That’s part of a pitcher’s body that if you do something too quick, something else is going to take effect from it.”
Porcello in Lowell
Rick Porcello is getting another chance to start over.
The 26-year-old was last seen giving up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits in just more than two innings against the White Sox on July 29. On the 15-day disabled list with a sore triceps, Porcello will make a rehab start with Single-A Lowell on Saturday.
He’s on schedule to go four innings or about 65 pitches. He’ll make one additional rehab start after that, either at DoubleA Portland or Triple-A Pawtucket, before the Red Sox consider adding him to the major league roster.
Porcello has a 5.81 ERA this season.
Hanley Ramirez missed his fourth straight game yesterday.
He’s still sore, Farrell said. And while X-rays were negative immediately following a pitch that was fouled into his foot last Friday, Ramirez still felt like he couldn’t play.
He’ll be examined again today in Boston to make sure his foot is capable of being played on.