In a cold spell

Ellsbury, Ortiz still struggling

Dustin Pedroia attended the Red Sox' optional workout yesterday, despite a quick turnaround. (Justine Hunt/Globe Staff)

While Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Jason Bay were tearing up the Rays Saturday night, there were two key pieces of the Red Sox' lineup missing from the action.

Jacoby Ellsbury, whom manager Terry Francona had expressed particular confidence in before Game 2, even with Scott Kazmir on the mound, went 0 for 6. And David Ortiz, author of so many postseason moments, went 0 for 3 in Boston's 11-inning 9-8 loss, though Ortiz did draw three walks.

"Some of his [past exploits] have been unbelievable," Francona said of Ortiz. "With a big bat, those kind of numbers can change in one game. He's always that threat in the middle that they have to respect, and over the course of a series, those things can change dramatically. That's why you like having those big bats."

Ortiz rarely has seen fastballs this postseason. For now, he's trying to take the walks he can get, seven so far in the playoffs. He certainly hasn't been hitting, at .174 (4 for 23) with a .217 slugging percentage. He has just one double and one RBI in six playoff games, hardly what the Sox need or expect from their designated hitter.

"Maybe he hasn't seen as many pitches in the zone as he's used to," Ellsbury said. "If they're throwing you balls, you can't really do anything about it. Hopefully, you just get on base and take the walks as they come."

As for Ellsbury, after starting out hot in the playoffs, the leadoff hitter has dropped precipitously. He doesn't have a hit in his last 17 at-bats, including that stinging 0-fer Saturday night before ceding right field to J.D. Drew.

Asked if anything was going on with Ellsbury, Francona replied, "Kazmir. They have pretty good pitching, and they went to that pitching, and they got him on his back - I don't want to say back foot," Francona said. "His bat head got a little deep."

Ellsbury had a different take. For a player who blasted through his first postseason with a .360 average, the outfielder seems to have faith he'll get back to the form he had at the start of the postseason, when he went 6 for 12 before running cold.

"This is the way it goes sometimes," he said. "It'll turn. It's a matter of time. Obviously, you want to go out there and have a great game every time. You're not going to have an excellent game every time. Just staying confident. It's a long season, you're not going to go 4 for 5 every night."

Byrd wasn't word
While bringing Mike Timlin into Saturday night's game with the score tied was risky, given his performance this season, Francona didn't have many options. The only possibilities were Timlin and Paul Byrd, and the manager said Byrd was being saved for later, so the team could let him go as long as needed if the game continued deep into extras.

"We warmed them both up because there was some - I don't know if indecision is the right word - but when it came down to it, we really needed to have the starter after Timlin," Francona said. "If something happens, we have a guy that hasn't pitched in a while as our last guy.

"If we can get through an inning - I know there's some ifs there - but if you get through an inning, then you have a starter that can pitch until the game is over. Sometimes the decision is kind of made for you under the circumstances."

Less cowbell?
If you noticed it was a bit loud at Tropicana Field the last couple days - and it was - you weren't alone. It was just as loud for the players in the bullpen, underneath a layer of cowbells and PA music. So Manny Delcarmen did his best to help out his eardrums, and those of his teammates.

"There are like two rows of fans right behind us," he said. "The bells are right here [as he put his hand to his ear]. I gave a ball to a little girl [Saturday], so she would stop ringing the bell. And she stopped. I mean, I could hear better."

Cora on deck?
Francona said the only lineup change he anticipates for today's game could be inserting Alex Cora at shortstop. Other than that, Drew will be back in right field, with Ellsbury in center against righthander Matt Garza . . . Kevin Cash reported that he arrived home at 7 a.m. yesterday, just in time for a short nap and a jaunt over to Fenway Park for the optional workout. Not every player attended, especially given the quick turnaround. Francona said, "[Sean ] Casey called me and he said, 'Do I need to be there?' Because they're so conscientious. I said, 'Casey, it's not mandatory, we're not checking to see who shows.' " . . . Saturday night was the ninth time the Sox lost a postseason game on a walkoff hit. The last time was in the Aaron Boone contest, Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS . . . Pedroia's two-homer game Saturday night was his first in the major leagues, though he did it twice in the minors in 2005. It was also the 11th time a Sox player has homered twice in a postseason game. Manny Ramírez last did it in Game 3 of the 2005 ALDS against the White Sox. The last second baseman to have a two-homer game was Boston's Todd Walker in Game 1 of the ALDS in 2003.

Adam Kilgore of the Globe staff contributed to this report.