BOSTON - One byproduct of having Manny Ramirez serve as the Sox’ designated hitter in the absence of injured David Ortiz?

Better outfield defense, at least with Jacoby Ellsbury in left field and Coco Crisp in center, as they were yesterday. In theory, anyway, if not always in practice.

Ellsbury robbed Nick Stavinoha of his first big-league hit by running down the burly designated hitter’s sizzling liner in the left-center gap with a runner at first and two outs in the fourth in a scoreless game.

He got a great jump on the ball, flung his body through the air, a la Superman, and backhanded the ball a split-second before it would have landed safely on the grass.

One inning later, Crisp made a nice play at the Green Monster in center. Crisp drifted to his right and back for Rick Ankiel’s leadoff fly ball in the fifth. As he got to the wall, Crisp jumped a bit and caught the ball, banging his right shoulder on the tin in the process, though not heavily.

Unfortunately, what Crisp doesn’t have is an arm. And everyone knows it.

So when Brendan Ryan’s fly ball to right-center fell in front of diving right fielder Drew and Crisp retrieved the ball, Ryan didn’t hesitate around first. He challenged Crisp’s arm and easily beat the balloon-like throw for a leadoff double in the sixth.

Five pitches later, he scored the first run of the game.

Crisp’s defensive skills, though, were called into question when Adam Kennedy’s ball sailed over him in the ninth and he made a futile leap that wasn’t close to where the ball hit low off the wall.

skrasne@projo.com