08:19 AM EDT on Monday, May 24, 2004

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

AP photo David Ortiz hustles out of the batter's box after connecting for a ground-rule double to right field that drove in Johnny Damon in the first inning yesterday.

BOSTON -- David Ortiz made his way through a crowd of media and television cameras to a spot in front of a TV in the Boston Red Sox' clubhouse.

The image of Terry Francona was on the screen, recorded from the Boston manager's earlier press conference.

Ortiz looked at the screen and smiled.

"It's my turn now," said Ortiz, turning his back to Francona and facing the media.

Once again, Ortiz earned the postgame spotlight because of what he had done in his turns at bat.

Ortiz smacked a pair of doubles and a single in his first three at-bats, helping to stake the Red Sox to an early six-run run lead en route to a 7-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park.

The victory, which Tim Wakefield racked up with seven solid innings, gave the Sox a sweep of the three-game series. The disappointing Blue Jays (17-27) are now only one game ahead of last-place Tampa Bay in the American League East standings.

Ortiz, meanwhile, surged to the top of the league's RBI category. He had had three yesterday to give hime 36 on the season.

"I have to get RBI, especially for a team with a lot of (injured) players (Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon and now Bill Mueller) who are not here," said Ortiz. "It's not something you think about. It's just something you do."

And it's something Ortiz has done well since signing withe Sox as a free agent after the 2002 season. Ortiz

posted a career-high 101 RBI a year ago. This season, he has been a consistent run-producer, one reason why the Red Sox lavished a new two-year deal plus an option for 2007 on the burly designated hitter/first baseman three days ago.

Yesterday marked the fifth straight game in which Ortiz had driven in a run. He has 12 RBI in his last 10 games.

"He's a huge asset for us to have in the lineup," said Wakefield, who improved to 4-2. "He seems to always get the big hits when we need him to. Our offense today really helped me out. When we get a lead like that early, it makes my job a lot easier. It makes my margin for error bigger."

Pitchers have very little margin for error when facing Ortiz for several reasons. He can hit the ball to all fields, for one. And he bats third in the Sox' order, in front of slugger Manny Ramirez, which, in theory, gives him an advantage because the pitcher doesn't want to put someone on for Ramirez.

"With Manny behind me I get pitches to hit," said Ortiz, 29, an affable 6-foot-4, 230-pounder. "But even with Manny behind you, they don't want to make it easy for you."

In the first two games of this series, it was Ramirez who delivered the clutch hits. In each case that hit was a monstrous homer. Ortiz didn't hit the ball out of the park, but in the first inning yesterday his ground-rule double down the right-field line delivered the first run of the game.

Ortiz's second-inning single didn't produce a run, but his double to right in the third knocked in two more, capping a four-run surge that gave Boston a 6-0 advantage.

Not that Ortiz was the lone offensive contributor yesterday. While the Sox were wasteful in the first two innings, scoring only two runs and leaving the bases loaded in each of those innings, Boston had plenty of chances, eventually knocking out struggling Toronto starter Miguel Batista after three innings.

Three walks in the first helped pace the way to the first two runs. There were two more walks in the second and another in the third as the Sox' oiffense put on pressure.

"(Batista) wasn't close to the strike zone and we were very patient," said leadoff man Johnny Damon, who went 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI. "This team can beat you by taking walks and then getting the big hit."

That formula worked perfectly over the weekend, as the Sox made it five wins in their last six games.