For Ortiz, Laying Down Bunt Is No Sacrifice

By Bill Shaikin

Aug. 22, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

The sounds of laughter and joy reverberated through the visiting clubhouse at Angel Stadium on Sunday. Manny Ramirez and Edgar Renteria had hit home runs, a kid named Jon Papelbon had stopped the Angels cold in his third major league start, and yet all the Boston Red Sox wanted to talk about was a bunt.

David Ortiz, their lumbering designated hitter, had dropped a bunt single in Boston’s 5-1 victory over the Angels. This never-before-seen event from this 230-pound man generated smiles and wisecracks from every corner of the clubhouse.

“Now we’ve got a new leadoff man,” Renteria joked.

Ortiz’s bunt was sandwiched between home runs from Renteria and Ramirez in a five-run eighth inning.

If the playoffs opened today, Boston’s competition in the American League would include the Angels, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox.

“I think the Angels are the best,” Boston outfielder Johnny Damon said. “They’ve got the best rotation, along with the White Sox, but their bullpen is a little more veteran. The Angels’ pitching staff is pretty awesome.”

The Red Sox lead both leagues in runs, but the Angels held them to 15 in a split of the four-game series. Until the Sox scored five runs in the eighth inning Sunday, they had scored 10 in 35 innings.

The Angel starters lead the league in earned-run average, and the staff ERA of 3.65 also leads the AL.

But Ortiz was quick to allude to the Angels’ glaring weakness, the absence of the injured Garret Anderson.

Without Anderson hitting behind him, defending AL most valuable player Vladimir Guerrero has not driven in a run in seven games.

In his only appearance with a runner in scoring position Sunday -- a man on third and two out -- the Red Sox walked him intentionally.

With Anderson fighting back and knee injuries, Guerrero has drawn nine intentional walks in the last 10 games. He leads the league with 17.

“They’ve got a good team,” Ortiz said. “They just need to get somebody behind Vladimir if they want to see Vladimir swinging the bat.... They need to start sticking a left-handed power hitter behind Vladdy.”

Ortiz, one of the premier left-handed power hitters in the majors, came to bat with two out and the bases empty in the eighth. The Angels employed their usual over-shift against him, with second baseman Adam Kennedy in short right field and shortstop Orlando Cabrera on Kennedy’s side of second base.

In his previous at-bat, Ortiz had lined what he thought was a single up the middle -- until he saw Cabrera standing right there to make the play. With that out, Ortiz was one for 15 in the series.

“I saw [third baseman Chone] Figgins playing right where Cabrera had been playing,” Ortiz said. “I was kind of nervous when I thought about it. I thought about it before, but I never bunted before. But those guys had been pitching me on the black all series. It was time to get a hit.”

Ortiz said he had never bunted for a hit except “one time in winter ball,” but he dumped the ball toward third base. The big guy had his bunt single.

“That was interesting,” Boston Manager Terry Francona said. “Watching him run to first base, it looked like he stole something. Those arms were swinging.”

Said Papelbon: “I heard everybody in the clubhouse hooting and hollering.”

Ramirez followed the bunt single with a home run, then had a line of his own for Ortiz.

“He said, ‘Way to set the table for the big boy,’ ” Ortiz said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)Manny Ramirez

The slugger’s statistics in Boston’s wins and losses this season:

WINS (71)

* Average... .355 (82 for 231)

* Doubles ...13

* Home runs... 27

* RBIs...84

* Runs scored...65

LOSSES (51)