PAWTUCKET — Although his play at third base has been solid from the outset, Chad Spann’s performance at the plate in his first month of Triple-A ball was not exactly something to write home about.

That’s certainly changed in the last week, however.

The 23-year-old has had plenty of good things to report lately, including his first home run and his first three-hit game in Pawtucket’s 3-1 win over Toledo on Monday.

After drawing a walk in his first at-bat, Spann extended his hitting streak to five games last night against Durham with an RBI single in the Pawsox’ four-run third inning.

“He’s really swinging the bat well the last few days,” PawSox skipper Ron Johnson said of Spann, the 2003 Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year at Single-A Augusta. “He’s a young guy, and as young guys do, when they move from level to level, it’s a feeling-out process. And he’s done an outstanding job. I’ve really been impressed with this guy’s maturity. He’s a young fella, and he has handled himself as a veteran.”

An Eastern League All-Star with Portland last season after tying for fifth in the league with a .294 average, Spann off to a sluggish start this season with Pawtucket.

Through his first 27 games, he had just two multi-hit games — on April 11 and 12 at Durham when he collected a pair of hits in each contest.

He bottomed out at .177 on May 7 after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

But Spann has seen much brighter days since then. Going into yesterday’s game, he had collected 8 hits in his last 17 at-bats, bumping his average up to .221.

“There’s a big difference between disappointment and devastation,” Johnson said of the range of emotions a player can experience during a hitting slump. “You can be disappointed about your performance, but what we don’t want to see is devastation, because then it can snowball and that’s something that’s really tough to come out of. Watching (Spann), though, I’ve just been impressed with the way he’s handled himself. He hasn’t been devastated. He’s been disappointed, of course; the kid’s a human being. But this guy’s been working nonstop throughout the year with (PawSox hitting coach Mark Budaska). And we know he’s got ability. . . . I’m hoping this is a nice starting point to propel him off and get him to where he needs to be.”

Up and running

Jacoby Ellsbury stole second in the first inning, then swiped second again in the fifth, bringing his total stolen bases since being transferred from Portland earlier this month to six. (He is now 6-for-8.)

But that’s not the only way Boston’s top prospect can help the PawSox with his speed. Just making an opposing team uneasy whenever he is on the base path can produce results.

“He can be just as much of an influence on this game without stealing a base,” Johnson said. “The way he handles his leads, the way he handles his attention — he can draw attention, which can change the momentum of a game. . . . I was really pleased with the bunt-for-hit attempt (Monday night). It was ruled a sac bunt, but that was a bunt-for-hit attempt. And that’s what (Ellsbury) needs to be doing. He needs to not let a team ever get comfortable with him at the plate, and there are so many ways he can do that without getting four hits or stealing four bases. That’s what you shoot for with a guy like that, and so far he’s done a really nice job of that.”

Kottaras coming along

George Kottaras missed his third straight game last night as he continues to recover from being hit twice in the head with the ball while catching Friday night at Toledo.

But the PawSox catcher, who sat out four games last week after being hit on the arm by a foul ball in Buffalo, is progressing well, says Johnson.

“He went out and he threw (yesterday) and he blocked some balls and he took a really nice (batting practice) and he had a nice pregame and he seems to have no repercussions from that,” Johnson said of Kottaras. “So hopefully we’ll get him out on the field ASAP.”

cthorn@projo.com