There werent many bright spots in Sundays football score loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, but the red-hot performance of Jacoby Ellsbury was one of them.
The Sox centerfielder was given a regularly scheduled day off on Saturday after playing in eight straight games after coming off the disabled list, and came back on Sunday with plenty of energy.
Taking more time off isnt at the top of Ellsburys priority list after missing nearly the first half of the baseball season with a separated shoulder, but hes willing to go along with the Sox medical staffs program.
I like playing. I like playing every day. Im just used to it, said Ellsbury. The more I play the more comfortable I get. I normally dont like taking days off, but you try to make the best out of it.
Ellsbury finished 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored in the 15-7 loss to Toronto, and clobbered his first home run of the 2012 season to dead, straightaway center in the bottom of the fifth inning.
I knew it was just a matter of time. I put a good swing on it and I was just trying to drive the ball, said Ellsbury. Ive been putting some good swings on balls, and if you have a good approach with good swings then good things are going to happen.
Ellsbury is hitting .350 in his first nine games off the disabled list with six runs scored, four extra base hits and one stolen base, and has picked up where he left off last season. Its certainly disappointing that it took until late July for Ellsbury to crank his first home run of the season after he jacked 32 long bombs last year, but the Sox leadoff man is ready to make up for lost time.
Boston Red Sox
But both Ellsbury and Carl Crawford have brought some energy and life to the top of the Sox batting order over the last two weeks, and thats a good start for a baseball team looking for all the help they can get.