BOSTON –– David Ortiz hopes his hitting slump is a thing of the past.

With a single up the middle in the bottom of the sixth inning in Boston’s 6-3 loss to Texas on Sunday, Ortiz extended his hitting streak to six games. He is 7-for-25 (.280) with two doubles, a home run, 4 RBI and 3 runs scored over his last six games.

Ortiz still has the worst batting average in the Red Sox lineup, but he has upped his average to .197 with this six-game hitting streak.

One more rehab start for Smoltz

 Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz appears to be one more minor-league rehab start away from returning to a major-league mound. The veteran right-hander is scheduled to pitch for the PawSox on Thursday at Syracuse.

He was back with the club Sunday and told manager Terry Francona he’s getting excited.

"He’s getting closer and closer, you can see it," said Francona. "Even the way he talks about it, he’s not rehabbing anymore. He’s attacking hitters and making pitches, which is good to hear."

Smoltz made his fourth rehab start, and the first of two for the PawSox, on Saturday at McCoy. He earned the win, working six innings where he allowed only one run on one hit with two walks and three strikeouts.

It’s possible he’ll make his Red Sox debut against the Marlins on June 16 at Fenway Park.

Break

Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis went 1-for-3 with a walk Sunday afternoon. It was that walk in the bottom of the third that caused a commotion.

Rangers starter Vicente Padilla delivered an inside fastball that hit Youkilis on the protective padding on his left elbow. He dropped his bat and started toward first before home-plate umpire Tim Timmons called him back because he felt Youkilis did not attempt to avoid the pitch.

That brought manager Terry Francona sprinting out of the dugout. While the umpire was telling Francona that Youkilis did not attempt to get out of the way, Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills looked at the replay and agreed.

"I don’t know if you can go out and yell at a guy and then go back out and apologize. It’s probably a little unprecedented to run back out and scream you’re sorry," joked Francona.

Shoulder strain for Ellsbury

Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was removed from Sunday’s game after the fifth inning due to a right shoulder strain.

He made a highlight-reel catch to end the top of the fourth inning. In an all-out sprint, he dove to make a catch on a Ian Kinsler drive to the garage door in deep center field. It was clear Ellsbury was banged up on the play. When he came off the field, he received a standing ovation for his defensive prowess.

"His right shoulder is tender," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona after the club’s 6-3 loss to the Rangers. "When he went into second [on a two-base error in the third] he felt it, and when he made that spectacular play that didn’t help it."

Before he batted in the fifth inning, he was examined and the training staff thought he could at least test it in his next at-bat. He grounded out to first base.

"Structurally he’s okay," said Francona. "When he took that swing it was bothering him a little bit. It didn’t make a lot of sense to keep him in there. I think he just jammed his shoulder. He’ll be sore tomorrow, but we’ll get him looked at tomorrow more extensively. . . Hopefully he won’t wake up in the morning and feel worse."

Okajima's streak ends

When the Rangers’ Nelson Cruz crushed a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning, it snapped Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima’s scoreless streak at 16 1/3 innings. Prior to the roundtripper, the lefty had held opponents scoreless in 21 of his 25 outings this season.

Francona says Okajima’s command has been the reason the southpaw has been so dominant. "When he’s commanding he can fall behind and it doesn’t matter," said Francona. "He throws an 87 mph fastball and he misses bats more than anybody. You see guys walking away shaking their heads. He throws the ball pretty much where he wants to."

Drew out again

J.D. Drew was not in the lineup Sunday for the second consecutive game due to a sore left shoulder, which he says has been bothering him since spring training.The Red Sox’ right fielder received a cortisone shot on Friday because the pain and discomfort had progressed to a point where the shoulder was "severe."

The problem, according to Drew, began in the collar bone and worked its way into the AC joint in the shoulder. He compared it to tennis elbow, where the discomfort just wears on you for an extended time. He said it’s something he’s been dealing with his entire career, but in the past it has gone away.

"For the last three weeks I’ve been really fighting it constantly on a daily basis," he said. "It was getting worse and worse."

Drew spoke with Francona on Friday and a decision was made to give the outfielder a 72-hour window of rest to let it heal. Drew fully expects to be in the lineup on Tuesday against the Yankees.

"He’s doing okay," said Francona. "With the day off (Monday), that will give him three days off and that should get him back to feeing good. That’s the idea. . . He swung the bat real well the last game he played, it just started to grind on him a little bit."

The oft-injured Drew arrived at spring training with back issues, stemming from his herniated disk problems from the past. Fortunately, he hasn’t had any setbacks since camp.

"I’ve been great. I have a real nice routine going ever since spring training. I’m periodically stiff from time to time, but that’s normal for guys who have lower-back issues," he said.

He’s been working on a back strengthening program and hoping his back won’t be an issue at all this season.