MINNEAPOLIS — With Jason Bay sitting out Thursday's game, Rocco Baldelli should have been the first option to replace him in left field. But Jeff Bailey, more of a first baseman, got the start instead, largely because Baldelli is still dealing with hamstring issues that may be related to his rare cellular disorder.

Baldelli has not played since he was taken out of Monday night's game after awkwardly running to first base. He said after the game that he felt fine, but manager Terry Francona said he continues to be cautious with Baldelli, who went on the disabled list with a left hamstring problem earlier in the season.

"He's tender. When I say tender, it's that condition. I think he feels like if he played, he wouldn't be able to play the whole game," Francona said.

It is hard to tell if Baldelli's hamstring issues are the result of a pull, or of the cramping that seems to accompany his medical condition, known as channelopathy, which causes him to tire easily and his muscles to not recover at a normal pace.

"I don't know if it's independent. I think maybe they're tied together, because I think that's probably hard for him to determine, a pull as opposed to the cramping, because it's a similar feeling," Francona said.

Baldelli is hitting .231 with one home run and four RBI this season.

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For much of the season, Bay has been the engine driving the Red Sox offense. But even the finest of machines can sputter without a respite, and Bay has been slightly less sharp than usual lately.

So Bay got Thursday off..

Bay, 30, hitting .281 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI, leads the All-Star balloting for American League outfielders. He is third in the league in walks, with 34, but has only one in his last five games. His manager felt the stalwart left fielder could use a break.

"This is a quick turnaround, on turf, we've got a day off on Monday, I think it'll do him a lot of good," said Francona

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Just when it was starting to take on that larger-than-life feel, Jacoby Ellsbury's hit streak ended at 22 games. Ellsbury went 0-for-3 and was hit by a pitch.

"It's one of those things. Yeah, it would have been nice to get a fourth and fifth AB, but most importantly, we won, and I'll look to start a new one tomorrow," Ellsbury said.

He was waiting in the on-deck circle when Julio Lugo lined out to end Boston's final at-bat of the day.

"With our lineup, I thought I'd get another stab at it," Ellsbury shrugged.

Ellsbury maintained that the looming issue of the streak itself wasn't a factor in it ending —- it just ends when it ends. By that same token, he wasn't doing well just because he was on a streak, he was doing well because he was taking a clear head and a good approach to the plate with him.

"You don't think about them. I mean, tomorrow you just go up, clear your mind, have good approaches, and good things kind of happen," he said.

Over his streak, Ellsbury hit .340, with six doubles, a triple, four RBI, 16 runs scored, five walks, and 11 steals. The streak was a career high, the longest in the American League this season, and the longest for a Boston player since Kevin Youkilis banged out hits in 23 games in 2007.

dbarbari@projo.com