BALTIMORE - Jacoby Ellsbury has chosen the ideal time to become an ideal leadoff hitter. The Red Sox are closing in on a playoff berth while feverishly working on playing their best baseball when it’s needed most.
It all begins with Ellsbury, whose success as the No. 1 hitter has mirrored that of his team. After being removed from the role for about six weeks in June and July, Ellsbury has transformed himself into the prototype sparkplug Sox manager Terry Francona desired.
Ellsbury was 3 for 4 in the Red Sox’ 9-3 win yesterday in Baltimore, finishing with two runs, a double, home run, stolen base, and three RBIs.
On May 30, Ellsbury went 0 for 4 with two fly outs in a 5-3 loss to Toronto, causing Francona to move him down in the order.
He spent June bouncing around various spots, from second to fifth to seventh to eighth. He finally returned to leadoff for good July 20 and has flourished, batting .322 with 22 stolen bases in that span.
Although Ellsbury hits the ball with occasional power and sprays the ball to all fields, the Sox had questioned whether he was prepared to assume the leadoff responsibility in just his second full major league season.
In the last two months, Ellsbury has dissipated those concerns. “I think the biggest thing throughout the season is sticking to your game plan,’’ he said. “You are going to see results sooner or later. [The leadoff] role is pretty much where I hit my whole life, so I am pretty comfortable there; even last year I felt comfortable.’’
Last year, Ellsbury hit .280 overall, but .272 when he was in the leadoff spot, with a .324 on-base average.
The Sox wanted Ellsbury in the leadoff role, but not too soon and not if it would cause him to lose confidence. However the first-round pick in 2005 has adjusted to the role gradually and after yesterday his on-base percentage is an impressive .410 in September and .372 since assuming the top spot.
“I think he enjoys [the leadoff role] and I know he always wanted to be there,’’ Francona said. “We didn’t want him in the position where he was trying to do stuff he wasn’t ready to do. Just take his abilities and hopefully they fit into that role instead of beating him over the head with ‘Take, take, take,’ or ‘Do this!’ and that doesn’t work.
“I know he wanted to be up there the whole year, I think we used good judgment in growing into the role. I think now he’s comfortable. He’s there every day. We’re not flip-flopping and obviously he looks comfortable.
“He does have the ability to change the game with his legs. At the beginning of the season, I always didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, for us and for him.’’
But as it stands, the Sox have an effective one-two punch at the beginning of the order, with Ellsbury (.304) followed by Dustin Pedroia, who went 2 for 5 to improve his average to .296. The postseason is two weeks away and the Sox are perhaps at their offensive peak.
“He’s been great, I know a couple of months ago we moved him out of the leadoff spot and down in the order, and ever since he got back up there, he’s been a force,’’ Pedroia said. “It brings a lot to our team. It just sets up our lineup. If he gets on and I get on, we’re pretty tough to beat. We just got to get on base.’’
Ellsbury, who stole his major-league-leading 63d base, still has to work on patience. He has 43 walks in 575 at-bats (29 in 451 at-bats as a leadoff hitter). The Angels’ Chone Figgins has 95 walks in 572 at-bats, tops for leadoff hitters. “You want your leadoff hitter on,’’ Ellsbury said. “That’s what a leadoff type of player of does, and if you get on base, that’s really going to help us out [in the playoffs].’’
Ellsbury’s increased level of comfort is coming at a perfect time for the Sox.
“You know what I think happens?’’ Francona said. “As you go into the year and you have at-bats under your belt, you feel better about yourself and you trust yourself more, maybe swinging at pitches early in the count, not afraid to hit with two strikes.
“I don’t know if it’s had a snowball effect, but he’s able to get deeper into counts and because of that he’s swinging at better pitches and he’s probably getting a few more walks.’’
Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. 
