He may have started off slow, with the longest homer-less streak of his career, but David Ortiz seems to be back to his old self, and not a moment too soon!
A three-run shot in Washington, a huge bomb off a Bronx arm, and five other home runs have all come quite recently.
While the critics were all over Ortiz to start the season, they haven't been able to say much as of late.
Some were stating that Papi's lack of production was due to Manny Ramirez leaving Boston to try his hand in the senior circuit of Los Angeles, but that was obviously not the case. Jason Bay made us certain of that, as did Manny's 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
The ailing wrist was another concern. Ortiz was unable to catch up to the inside fastball, quite similar to his swing back in his Minnesota days.
But now it seems like Papi is being Papi!
He's swinging the bat, he's crushing the ball, and he's ready to return to the cleanup spot as DH once interleague play is over. He gets to put away the glove until the World Series.
And it's not only the power—his average has been steadily climbing from the sub-Mendoza Line numbers he was putting up through May.
Heck, he had an opposite field base hit against the Nationals in the middle game of the Washington series, which set up a Jason Varitek two-run shot!
So no worries, David Ortiz fans. Your Papi is back, your Papi is blasting the ball, and your Papi will finish the year with 30 home runs.
Welcome back to the world of production, and thanks for being Papi.
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