Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins MLB Game Preview

The Boston Red Sox tried benching struggling DH David Ortiz, but that didn’t shake Big Papi out of his season-long slump. So on Tuesday night, Ortiz hit sixth in the lineup against the Minnesota Twins.

Ortiz carried a .195 average and one home run into the game and for the first time in four years found his name somewhere other than third in the lineup. He had one hit in three official at-bats in the 5-2 loss. The lineup shift is designed to take pressure off Ortiz so he can return to his usual production – and then move back up in the order.

The last time Ortiz hit in the No. 6 hole was May 11, 2004. The last time he didn’t bat in the third spot was May 13, 2005, when he batted cleanup.

“When you hit third, you must be swinging good,” Ortiz said after the game. “I’m not, obviously. The manager moved me to sixth because we’ve got guys swinging the bat good.”

Indeed, one Red Sox player is hitting big-time, that being outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. He had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 21 games, the longest active streak in the major leagues. Over the streak, Ellsbury has batted .333 (32 for 96). In each of the last seven games, Ellsbury has extended his streak in the first three innings. He’s also stolen 10 bases over the streak, including two Tuesday.

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“It’s always nice to get a hit rolling to start the game,” he said. “Just with the lineup we have, the guys hitting behind me, just put a little pressure on the starting pitcher from the get-go, make them throw a little bit more pitches.”

The Twins, meanwhile, have won five of six after losing a season-high six in a row. And Justin Morneau is raking, hitting .529 (9 for 17) with two home runs and 11 RBIs in his last five games and is tied with Philadelphia’s Raul Ibanez for the third-most RBIs in the majors (44).

Minnesota starts Kevin Slowey (6-1, 4.23) on Wednesday. His last start, he went 7 1/3 innings against Milwaukee, allowing just two earned runs. He’ll be facing the Red Sox for the first time this season.

Boston counters Daisuke Matsuazka (0-2, 10.32). He returned from the disabled list on Friday, yielding four runs on five hits over five innings against the Mets. Matsuzaka is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA in three career appearances against Minnesota.

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