Ortiz is charter member

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The bottle of Jean Paul Gaultier cologne, the French fragrance David Ortiz had found so appealing a couple of nights earlier, was delivered to the visitors' clubhouse yesterday afternoon. It was accompanied by a note.

``You're a special person. Thank you for what you've meant to the entire game. [Signed], Joe Maddon."

The Tampa Bay manager, who uses the stuff himself, as Ortiz discovered when he ran into Maddon leaving the ballpark Friday night, had jokingly pledged to buy some for Ortiz if he refrained from hitting any more home runs against the Devil Rays this weekend.

Maddon followed through on his promise, overlooking the fact that Ortiz did not live up to his end of the deal, hitting a solo home run in the fifth off J.P. Howell, a 23-year-old lefty who while at the University of Texas broke Roger Clemens's two-season record for strikeouts. The home run was Ortiz's seventh against the D-Rays this season, third this weekend, and sixth in Tropicana Field, which matched the total he hit last season here, the most ever by a D-Rays opponent.

But the home run had more than local significance. It was Ortiz's 40th of the season, making him the first Sox player to hit 40 or more in three consecutive seasons. Manny Ramírez, with 31 home runs this season after hitting 43 in 2004 and 45 last season, has a good shot at matching Ortiz for that honor.

``What was that I did today?" Ortiz said when told of the milestone. ``Oh, really? Damn. I think Theo [ Epstein, the Sox general manager] made a good decision then."

What was that, Ortiz was playfully asked, trading Shea Hillenbrand (which made Ortiz an everyday player at the end of May 2003)?

``Yeah," Ortiz said, ``and signing me."

The chance for more late thunder from Ortiz presented itself in the eighth with Seth McClung on the mound, McClung having given up four home runs to Ortiz in seven previous at-bats, including one Friday night. This time, however, Ortiz grounded to first, as McClung said something to him from behind his glove.

``He said, `It's about time I got you out,' " Ortiz said. ``I was just laughing. He's a good kid, though. I get to talk to him sometimes in the gym when we're home."

In the 10th, with two outs and Coco Crisp on second after a single and stolen base, Maddon ordered Ortiz walked intentionally to pitch to Ramírez, who was retired by Shawn Camp on a fly ball to right. Did he think Maddon might also walk Ramírez, since Ramírez had a 22-game hitting streak and had homered the day before?

``I thought he might try something crazy like that," Ortiz said.

Maddon said doing so would have put too much pressure on the pitcher.

Catcher Corky Miller, who made his first start for the Sox, went 0 for 4 and has just one hit in 55 at-bats since the start of the 2004 season. That's a .018 average, the lowest of any major leaguer, including pitchers, with at least 50 plate appearances in that span. The lowest average of any position player in that time was the .091 posted by infielder Andy Fox for Montreal and Texas in 2004, his last season in the big leagues. The lowest average of any active position player in that span (minimum 50 plate appearances) is the .143 posted by Indians rookie Andy Marte, who is 11 for 77.

Miller's only hit in that span came on Sept. 11, 2004, when he was hitting behind Wily Mo Peña in the Cincinnati Reds' lineup and singled off Brewers pitcher Victor Santos. He is 0 for 25 since then, including an 0 for 12 last season for the Twins. Santos, incidentally, is now with the Pirates and is hitting .075 (8 for 106) since the start of 2004.

The lowest batting average of any Red Sox player with 50 or more plate appearances is the .053 of pitcher Dick Ellsworth, who was 4 for 75 over the 1968-69 season. The lowest average of any Sox position player is the .114 (5 for 44) posted by Art McGovern, also a catcher, in 1905, his only season in the major leagues. Miller's career average, in 89 big-league games with the Reds, Twins, and Sox, is .190 (47 for 248).

On Tampa Bay's TV network yesterday, when broadcasters were setting Boston's defensive alignment, the graphic under Miller's name read, ``Who?"

Since Doug Mirabelli's pinch-hit double batting for Jason Varitek July 31, Red Sox catchers are batting .111 (3 for 27) with one RBI since Varitek went down with partially torn cartilage in his left knee. The breakdown: Mirabelli (2 for 10), Ken Huckaby (1 for 3, RBI), Javy Lopez (0 for 10), Miller (0 for 4). Huckaby, who was designated for assignment, may yet rejoin the Sox.

A couple of readers e-mailed to note that while Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford by age 25 did indeed collect as many hits (749) as Ted Williams at the same age, another qualifier deserved mentioning. As Thomas Henderson of Lowell, Mass., wrote: ``Williams had the same number of base hits as Crawford did and was approaching 500 days as a Marine air pilot." Williams turned 25 Aug. 30, 1943, 20 months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II. In 1942, when Williams was 24, he won his first of two American League triple crowns, leading the league in average (.356), home runs (36), and RBIs (137). He enlisted in the Navy May 22, 1942 and entered training school after that season. He did not return to playing baseball until 1946.

Keith Foulke, contrary to his own expectations, will not join the Sox tomorrow in Kansas City, Mo. Francona said Foulke will pitch for Pawtucket Tuesday and Wednesday in back-to-back appearances, then join the club when it returns home this weekend. Foulke has pitched a total of three innings in two rehab appearances in Pawtucket, and had told reporters there that he planned to be in Kansas City . . . Third baseman Mike Lowell hit off a tee yesterday and said he felt enough improvement in his sore left foot that he expects to play tomorrow. Alex Cora played third in his absence and had two hits and two RBIs . . . Mirabelli said the swelling in his ankle has decreased significantly and wouldn't rule out returning to the lineup tomorrow, though that's probably a long shot. ``I wouldn't say it's crazy," he said . . . Lenny DiNardo said he was greatly encouraged by a bullpen session Saturday and hoped to be ready by the time the Yankees arrive with all their lefthanded hitters at the end of next week . . . Francona never left Tropicana Field Saturday night, choosing to sleep on his office sofa because he felt so ill. He said he felt a little better yesterday . . . Coco Crisp's four-strikeout game was the second of his career. The first came as an Indian, Sept. 12, 2004 at Oakland . . . One major league scout who watched David Wells pitch Saturday night said that while he thinks Wells might still help the Red Sox this season, he wasn't particularly impressed. ``Not enough fastballs," he said, ``and they started waiting on his breaking ball." . . . Dustin Pedroia started at third base for the second consecutive game in Pawtucket. Pedroia, who has only played second and short in the minors for the Sox, is getting a crash course at third to give the Sox more depth at the position in light of Lowell's foot problems.