Big Papi's 2 Tater Day Lifts Red Sox

Big Papi David Ortiz clubbed two home runs, both off fastballs, to power the Boston Red Sox to a 7-2 victory over the at home Detroit Tigers. The first shot, which was in the first inning, was estimated at 450 feet and had people in the standing-room-only section scrambling for the souvenir. It was the second longest tater in Comerica Park's history, right behind Carlos Pena's 461 foot clout. I would have liked to have seen THAT one because David's was an utter joy to see. He watched it from the plate as the ball went into a brief Earth orbit. Here's the man himself describing the home runs......

“Two fastballs - gone. Short and quick to the point.”

He's right! Here's Papi is about how he's feeling these May days. We all know he struggled mightily in April 2010, just as he did in 2009. Read on...

“I’m feeling good,” he said. “Swinging the bat - seeing the ball and hitting it, man. You know? There’s people that know a lot about the game, they think they got everything figured out. Just tell them that the season is not over after April. It’s over after October. Just keep on swinging, man - laser show, like Pedie says,” he said. “Relax.”

Papi, when you're hitting, I AM relaxed and the team feeds off your power. The result? Victories and a ton of 'em. Keep it going, Big Man, keep it going. He's hot, alright. Over the past six games he is 9 for 22, which is a .409 average. And then last night, after his intergalactic shot, it was 5-0 Boston and Clay Buchholz had enough of a lead to rear back and throw strikes. He wasn't completely sharp though, walking five Tigers, but he got the job done and gave way to Bard and Okajima after his 6 1/3 innings. They were just fine and the Red Sox took game one of this three game series. David will DH tonight against Dontrelle Willis, a lefty, in Detroit. Boston manager Terry Francona does not want to take him out of the lineup when he's just starting to get hot. The two teams play again on this Saturday with our lefty ace, Jon Lester, ready to face another lefty, Dontrelle Willis. If Lester pitches the way he has lately, Boston will only need a couple of runs to put this one away. They're only 5 1/2 games in back of the Rays. ANYTHING is doable.

I just now looked out the sliding glass door overlooking the backyard and guess what...here comes the sun, inching above the tree-shrouded horizon. I'm looking at its beauty as I type. It's a wonderful sight. Click on this post's title for SI dot com's Red Sox coverage and as always, BE WELL. Enjoy your weekend. Thanks. I'll see ya soon.