Situation with Ortiz is far from the norm

Yankees catcher Jose Molina shows the ball after slumping slugger David Ortiz strikes out swinging in the sixth inning. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

With Mike Lowell on the disabled list, it's understandable that Terry Francona would not be giving David Ortiz a day off any time soon.

But with Ortiz last among American League qualifiers with an .070 average, might Francona see merit in giving the Sox designated hitter a mental health day?

"If I ever felt that way, I'd do it, regardless [of whether Lowell was available]," Francona said before yesterday's 4-3 victory over the Yankees. "I don't feel that way right now. If I did, I'd do it. He's still a pretty good presence."

But after Ortiz went hitless in four at-bats yesterday, extending the worst slump of his career to 3 for 43, 0 for his last 17, Francona acknowledged it may be time to reconsider.

"That's actually a possibility," he said. "We'll see. A day where maybe he can do some physical things but keep his mind free, that's a possibility."

Ortiz has not hit a fair ball hard since flying out to the right-field warning track in the second inning of Tuesday's home opener. In 16 at-bats since, he has hit a ball in the air to the outfield three times, flying out twice to the opposite field. He has grounded into four double plays, including a check-swing comebacker to the mound yesterday, and has struck out five times (including one strike-'im-out, throw-'im-out double play).

"He's hitting [in the cage], he's working hard, maybe hitting too much," Francona said. "He understands a lot of guys look to him. He's going through a tough time at the plate. When we get two-hit [against Chien-Ming Wang Friday night], he feels it. If David goes through the whole year hitting under .100, we're going to lose some games. David's built up a lot of trust, especially from me, and hopefully somebody is going to pay [for the slump]."

Handle with care
Lowell said he is still not close to swinging a bat. "The swelling's gone down a little," Lowell said of his left thumb injury, which officially is being called a sprain by the club but involves a strained ligament. "I'd say [Friday], it went down a lot from the day before. I think [yesterday] is kind of like [Friday]. I'm assuming there's going to be a point where it's going to kind of stay as is, but I'm hoping in like three days we can start doing movement exercises." Lowell says he keeps his removable splint on most of the time. "I purposely don't want to take it off, just in case I catch it on something walking," he said. "I don't want you guys to see a grown man cry." . . . Alex Cora, who felt pain in his throwing elbow taking early infield practice Thursday, said he is fine and available to play. Francona said Cora still hadn't been given clearance to throw but probably will as soon as today . . . The Sox are taking Bartolo Colon with them on their trip to Cleveland and New York this week, though he has not yet been given clearance to resume throwing. Colon, on Pawtucket's disabled list with a strained oblique muscle, is expected to gain clearance shortly.

Setting up nicely
Hideki Okajima has thrown 5 2/3 scoreless innings over seven appearances this season . . . Jacoby Ellsbury, who stole second in the first inning, is now 10 for 10 in stolen-base attempts in the majors . . . Friday night was the second time Mike Timlin has allowed a home run to the first batter he faced in a season. In 1997, when he was with the Blue Jays, he gave up a pinch-hit home run to Norberto Martin of the White Sox . . . Fans watching the Fox telecast of the game had to use their imaginations on the final out. With two outs and Jonathan Papelbon battling Robinson Cano, the network switched to its coverage of NASCAR's Subway Fresh Fit 500. Cano eventually grounded out, but the switch raised the ire of fans, many of whom called the Globe to voice their outrage.

Is anybody home?
When the Yankees play the Sox in New York Wednesday and Thursday, it will be their only home games in a stretch of 20 games. Their 18 road games in April are the most any team has ever played in the month. The Yankees were to have played at home next weekend against the Orioles, but those games were shifted to Baltimore because of the planned visit by Pope Benedict XVI, who arrives in Washington Tuesday for a five-day visit and is scheduled to offer Mass at Yankee Stadium next Sunday . . . Jason Varitek quietly observed his 36th birthday Friday . . . The Yankees denied a story that appeared in Friday's New York Post about a construction worker who said he buried a Sox jersey in the concrete poured at the new Yankee Stadium. "We noticed that the NY Post wrote a fun and interesting story about a T-shirt today, but it never happened," Yankee spokesperson Alice McGillion wrote in an e-mail that appeared in the Newark Star-Ledger. "Yankee fans know that burying something in concrete in the basement is never a good thing. Memo to the Post: You're 10 days late for April Fool's Day." But the joke appears to be on the Yankees. The front page of yesterday's Post featured photos taken by the construction worker - a mason born in the Bronx, according to the Post - showing him burying an Ortiz jersey in the concrete foundation of the visitors' clubhouse. "As I stuck it in, I said, 'The Yankees are done for the next 30 years.' I only put a 30-year curse because I'm 46 and in 30 years I'll be dead, and I won't care if the Yankees win then," said the worker, who was given the appellation "Gino" by the paper.

Amalie Benjamin of the Globe staff contributed to this report; Gordon Edes can be reached at edes@globe.com.