The most telling aspect of David Ortiz's absence from the Red Sox lineup is that by any meaningful measure, the team's offense did not lose any of its potency.
To a man, of course, the Sox are thrilled at the timing of the return of Ortiz, coming back after nearly two months away just in time to face the New York Yankees at a time of year that might not be quite "do or die," as Jonathan Papelbon called it, but nonetheless presages another stretch drive certain to involve both teams.
But the Sox, who actually picked up a game on Tampa Bay while Ortiz was recovering from a partially torn tendon sheath in his left wrist - they trailed by a game May 31 and now are in a virtual tie in the American League East, .001 behind - could not have done a better job of masking his missing bat.
Consider the numbers, before and after Ortiz's injury:
Batting average: .280 before; .279 after.
Runs per game: 5 before; a hair over 5 after.
Home runs per game: 1.05 before; 1.15 after.
On-base percentage: .353 before; .360 after.
Slugging percentage: .441 before; .450 after.
And the number that matters the most: The Sox were 34-24 with Ortiz, 26-19 without Big Papi.
"David coming back is great, and I hope Manny [Ramírez] is fine," third baseman Mike Lowell said before the team departed Seattle, Ramírez having missed the finale of the six-game trip after reporting that his right knee was sore, a development that came as a surprise to manager Terry Francona.
"Me or Youks [Kevin Youkilis] or J.D. [Drew] is going to have to hit seventh," added Lowell. "It's really good having guys who can put up RBI numbers from that spot. I think it puts so much more pressure on the pitcher. They can't relax after getting Manny out."
Ortiz hit home runs in each of the first three games of his rehab assignment in Pawtucket, before tapering off in the final three games in Double A Portland, where he had two hits in seven at-bats. Did the home runs raise the expectations of teammates as much as it did the fans?
"It's a good sign that he showed power, instead of coming back feeling like he won't hit for power," Lowell said. "We saw it in batting practice [before the rehab assignment]. He was driving the ball well. That was the first positive sign.
"We just need David to be David, which is a great player. I don't think he should feel like he needs to catch up. To me, he starts at zero. From this point on, he just needs to play like he's capable of."
With Ortiz back with the big club, the Sox shipped Brandon Moss to Pawtucket yesterday. Moss hit .295 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 34 games with Boston this season.
