Ortiz goes deep in return: Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz finished 2 for 5 with a home run during Boston's 7-5 win over Philadelphia in an interleague matchup on Saturday night. Ortiz, who missed Friday's game with an illness, crushed a two-run homer off Phillies starter Joe Blanton in the fifth inning. It was his ninth homer of the season as he boosted his batting average up to .344 through 40 games, fourth best in the American League. (Updated 05/19/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/25/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Ortiz showed no lingering effects of the uncomfortable illness and went deep for the second time in his past five games. The 36-year-old slugger served as the first baseman for Saturday's game as the Red Sox attempt to keep his dangerous bat in the lineup during interleague play. Ortiz has also produced a .412 on-base percentage this season and remains a must-start option in all formats at this point. (Updated 05/19/2012).
05/21/2012 22:33 Ortiz's HR sparks Red Sox comeback
David Ortiz homered in the sixth inning to start Boston's comeback from a three-run deficit, and the Red Sox got three hits from Will Middlebrooks in an 8-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
05/19/2012 22:50 Hot bats lead Red Sox over Phillies
David Ortiz homered, singled and drove in two runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 7-5 win over Philadelphia, snapping the Phillies' six-game winning streak Saturday night.
05/17/2012 22:47 Ross, Doubront lead BoSox past Rays
Cody Ross had a home run and four RBI, Felix Doubront won his third consecutive start and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Thursday night.
05/17/2012 00:59 Adrian Gonzalez guarantees Thursday home run
Frustrated over the strike zone in Wednesday's loss to Tampa Bay, Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez made a rather bold prediction.
After three straight seasons with batting averages of .270 or lower, Fantasy owners may have forgotten that David Ortiz isn't just about home runs. Cutting back his strikeout rate dramatically, Ortiz posted the fifth .300-plus batting average of his career in 2011, while still providing the power and run production that has made him a useful Fantasy hitter, even though he lacks a position. Even though Ortiz saw fewer pitches, he continued to draw walks while sending 29 balls into the stands. Another encouraging sign for Ortiz is that he put his recent trend of poor splits against left-handed pitchers behind him, batting .329 with eight home runs against southpaws in 173 at-bats. There is no reason to think Papi is slowing down just yet, and he is worth targeting within the first 10 rounds in mixed league formats. (Updated 1/27/12)