It's hit or miss for Ortiz
Two singles, two K's in Game 2 of return
On Friday, the return of David Ortiz, the wide-bodied presence that was missing for 45 games, was reduced to an afterthought amid the confusion surrounding the man who usually serves as his protection in the lineup.
Yesterday, when Manny Ramírez took his usual cleanup spot to give the Red Sox their fearsome 1-2 punch, Ortiz had to fend off queries about his teammate that proved to be tougher to answer than Yankees starter Andy Pettitte's cutter.
"I have no comment about a trade," said Ortiz when asked whether Ramírez might be dealt. "I just have to focus on getting my job done and go from there."
Yesterday was the second day back on the job for Ortiz. On Friday, in his return to the big leagues, Ortiz had to stare down power-armed Joba Chamberlain and his fastball-slider repertoire.
Things were no easier for Ortiz in Game 2 since being sidelined with a partially torn tendon sheath in his left wrist.
Ortiz, who went 1 for 4 Friday, had hits in two of his four at-bats yesterday - three plate appearances against the veteran Pettitte, whose fastball was reaching the low 90s, and one against new bullpen addition Damaso Marte, also a lefty but with some extra juice on his fastball.
"OK," Ortiz, with his wrist heavily wrapped in a bandage after the Yankees' 10-3 rout, said of how he's feeling. "Like always, when you're out for a minute, you've got to figure yourself out as a hitter and keep working on it."
Considering how long it's been since he's stared down major league pitching, it would be considered a hasty demand for the Sox to expect the usual slugging from Ortiz, especially when Pettitte had his good stuff working.
Pettitte, who gave up two unearned runs in the first inning, shook off his early struggles (49 pitches through the first two innings) and found the rhythm the Yankees have come to expect from him: good location, efficient velocity changes, and that killer cutter.
"He threw a lot of cutters," Kevin Cash said. "He kept us off balance. He never gave in at all."
In the first, Ortiz drove in a run by stroking a two-on, no-out single into right field that scored Dustin Pedroia. But in his second at-bat, which came in the third inning with leadoff hitter Kevin Youkilis on first base, Ortiz was fooled by a 1-and-2 Pettitte cutter that caught an outside slice of the strike zone.
In the fifth inning, after Youkilis grounded out to short, Ortiz hit a 1-and-0 dribbler past Pettitte. But because of the shift, Derek Jeter couldn't retrieve the roller until it had reached the shallow outfield, giving Ortiz his second hit of the day and third since his return. Ortiz was rubbed out when Ramirez grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
The Yankees busted things open in the sixth inning by scoring four runs to take a 7-2 lead, but J.D. Drew's solo swat into the right-field bleachers trimmed New York's lead to four runs, a deficit Ortiz could have trimmed an inning later.
Cash struck out to start the inning against reliever Jose Veras, but Pedroia (walk) and Youkilis (single) allowed Ortiz to come to the box with the threat of making it a one-run game.
Ortiz got his first look this season at Marte, the power-pitching lefty specialist the Yankees acquired from Pittsburgh yesterday. Marte, who had 47 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings for the Pirates, needed only four pitches to whiff Ortiz, punching out the DH with a heavy sinking fastball. Marte's work was complete, as manager Joe Girardi replaced him with Edwar Ramirez.
Ortiz's mates went 26-19 while he rehabbed his injury. With the No. 3 hitter back in the lineup, doing his usual spit-and-slap routine at home plate, the punchless Sox (one earned run yesterday on Drew's clout) are 0-2 and in danger of seeing the Yankees complete a Fenway sweep tonight.
"Just come back [today]," said Ortiz of the club's struggles, especially at the plate. "Forget about what happened [yesterday] and [Friday] and just play the game. It happens."
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com.
