Slump, but no grump

Ramírez is calm despite struggles

HOUSTON - It was almost immediate. Manny Ramírez hit his 500th home run May 31 at Baltimore, and with that pressure lifted, proceeded to hit just about everything in sight. Over the next seven games following the milestone, Ramírez had 10 hits - including four home runs - in 25 at-bats, driving in 10 runs and scoring seven.

This, of course, was classic Manny Ramírez.

Since then, things haven't been nearly the same.

Slowed by a sore hamstring, Ramírez has hit just .186 (8 for 43) over his last 12 games, and he's just 2 for 15 with six strikeouts in his last four games.

Ramírez tweaked the hamstring June 5, the night of the brawl with the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. On certain swings, it appears that Ramírez is conscious of it, of the pain or not wanting to injure it further.

Still, sitting out doesn't seem to be an option, at least not in Ramírez's eyes.

With David Ortiz on the disabled list with a wrist injury, Ramírez has had the luxury of being the team's designated hitter in American League parks, though he has taken his usual position in left field in National League venues.

"I want to play," Ramírez said. "This is almost my last year of my contract, I want to go out there and play. I don't want to go and take weeks off, this and that. I got that on my mind - even when I'm not 100 percent, I'm much better than almost everybody when they're not 100 percent."

But the hamstring is a legitimate issue.

"I don't think it's helping," manager Terry Francona said. "But I also think there are times when guys go through periods where their timing is not quite perfect."

But Ramírez isn't dwelling on his injury. And he's convinced that this downturn is a momentary blip on the screen.

"It bothers me a little," he said. "But that's not an excuse. I've been swinging good. When I hit the ball, I hit it in front of people. That's something I can't control, but it's a long season. I'll be there."

He's not outwardly bothered by the slump, sitting relaxed in a chair in a corner of the visitors' clubhouse at Minute Maid Park. He's aware that there's a distinct payoff for performing well this season - the Red Sox hold a $20 million option on him for next season - but he also knows that no matter where he plays in 2009, he'll do well financially.

It has made for a different Ramírez this season, one who's just as happy to talk with the media as with his teammates, one who seems content. As for why he has chosen to break his silence, why he's moved from staring through inquisitors to initiating discussion, that appears to be a matter of taste.

"Maybe the past years I thought those 15 minutes, those 10 minutes was going to take away my routine, my focus," Ramírez said. "I decided to start doing it. I like it. You know sometimes you come to the stadium, you get so focused."

He's still focused, still taking his approach and preparation seriously. But Ramírez said that, right now, it's more about coming to the ballpark and enjoying his teammates. Joking around with Ortiz and Mike Lowell and Alex Cora. Keeping his cool, having fun.

So he'll enjoy this season, whether he's hitting at the moment or not.

"I've got nothing to lose," Ramírez said. "I want to enjoy it. I want to have fun. You can have two weeks good, three weeks good, good month, bad month. You've got to be strong in here and know that you're going to come out on top. There's two things that I've got that I don't know if everybody [has]: I've got patience and I believe in myself."

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