Drill team reports

As David Ortiz strolled into the clubhouse yesterday, hitting coach Dave Magadan pulled him aside. He had some videotape that he wanted Ortiz to view. He thought he might have some solutions.

Ortiz had approached Magadan a couple of days ago to say he felt his swing was off. In batting practice, he wasn't driving the ball. In games, he wasn't driving the ball. It wasn't just the torn meniscus in his right knee. It was more than that.

"He showed me some stuff that I put into play today," Ortiz said. "It made a huge difference. Man, like every time I take a swing, I was looking at him like, 'Dude, you should have told me this like three months ago.' "

Because, in perhaps the best sign in the Red Sox' 9-4 win over the Blue Jays last night that featured moment after gold-star moment, at least offensively, Ortiz smashed his first home run at Fenway Park since April 21 against the Yankees, a drought of an almost astounding 34 games and 129 at-bats.

This was long before Daisuke Matsuzaka turned in a performance just good enough to win. Long before Jason Varitek and Eric Hinske joined in the power show. Before Julio Lugo resembled the player awarded a $36 million contract. Before the Sox accomplished a franchise rarity, the double steal.

It was hours after a pregame, closed-door session with manager Terry Francona that Ortiz unloaded on a 3-0 pitch, easy pickings for a slugger of his stature. But it hasn't been that easy this season, not when Ortiz's 15th home run (and just his fourth at Fenway) came in the 90th game of 2007. Ortiz also had a third-inning ground-rule double for his second RBI and a well-struck line out to right in the eighth, both providing a chance for the crowd of 36,830 to cheer its approval.

"I've been having problems all year, man, with my swing," said Ortiz, now 6 for 13 with four RBIs since the All-Star break. "I've been battling through a whole bunch of stuff with my swing this year. At one point I feel like I figured it out. At another point it just walks away from you.

"Dealing with my knee situation, this and that, it's a whole bunch of different things, kicking in and kicking out, kicking in and kicking out. But lately what I've been doing is just try to use my hands more than everything."

His wasn't the only feat of strength. Varitek blasted a two-run shot in the sixth off Dustin McGowan for his ninth home run of the season, a pitch that landed way back in the center-field bleachers, perhaps 450 feet from home plate.

"Tek takes a gorgeous swing and then we go from there," Francona said. "That was a big lift."

The home run, coming after Mike Lowell's leadoff single, was a relief to Matsuzaka, who in his second straight command-less start let a pair of doubles (Frank Thomas and Troy Glaus) and a two-run home run (Aaron Hill) tie the score at 4-4 in the top of the inning. The Blue Jays' first run came on a shot by Glaus that tagged the top part of the Volvo sign in left-center. Matsuzaka, in fact, had to switch to pitching from the stretch in the fourth to "gather himself so he can execute his pitches," Francona said.

"I think I was disappointed from beginning to end today," Matsuzaka offered.

Sandwiched around Ortiz's two RBIs was a run-scoring triple by Coco Crisp in the third, and Hinske sent his fourth homer of the season into the Sox bullpen in the fourth. But after the Jays rallied to even things against Matsuzaka, the Sox responded with their five-run sixth. Not only did Varitek go deep, but Lugo beat out a bunt single, Dustin Pedroia added an RBI single, Manny Ramírez a sacrifice fly, and Kevin Youkilis tacked on an RBI single.

Matsuzaka was done for the night, improving to 11-6. And Manny Delcarmen built on his growing confidence by throwing two scoreless innings (one hit, four strikeouts) before handing off to Hideki Okajima for the ninth.

Though Ortiz said he is feeling good lately, his knees still play a part in the alterations of his swing. That's where his power comes from, after all. But, even as it seems to bother him slightly, Ortiz emphasizes that his game is not all about hitting home runs.

"I'm not even worried about homers," Ortiz said. "Because when you worry about that, you just get worse. You're not talking about a guy that hit 50 homers last year but this year he's not hitting homers, he's hitting .200.

"I feel like I can hit for better average. I know I have the ability to make a lot of contact with the ball. This offseason I sit down and talk to my dad, tell him, 'You know what, this year I want to see if I can hit for average better than the year before.' I think I have. I'm capable to do it. I've just got to be patient."

"Not going to be 129 at-bats no more. I guarantee it."

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.