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AP / Steve Nesius

Jacoby Ellsbury went 4-for-6 Wednesday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins.

The Boston Red Sox crushed the Twins, 18-5, on that day.

Those statements are not two independent, unrelated thoughts. They fit together.

And while Ellsbury was not the only member of the Sox to have a good day in the series finale at Fenway Park, it has been clear to everyone on the team this season that he is the engine at the front of the train that drives Boston’s offense.

Yes, it may be a simplification and probably unfair on a veteran team with other bona fide offensive stars to say that how Ellsbury goes, the Red Sox offense goes.

Ellsbury had been struggling a bit lately, unable to get on base and unleash his base-running speed on the opposition, and Boston had been struggling to score runs.

On Wednesday, though, the Twins had a first-hand look at why Ellsbury is a strong candidate for rookie of the year, and how important he is as a catalyst to the Red Sox’ offense.

“Look at how we play,” manager Terry Francona said. “There’s a direct correlation with how we play and him getting on base. We are a different team when he’s on base.”

Added Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis, “When Jacoby gets on base and uses his speed, that’s a huge thing for us.” Ellsbury showed a little of everything at the plate against the Twins. He opened the game by lacing a single to right, pulling a fastball from Livan Hernandez. Ellsbury slapped a single through the shortstop hole in his second at-bat, flied to the warning track in right, got credit for a double when his fly ball to right-center was lost in the sun, lined a single to left and lined out hard to shortstop.

Defensively, Ellsbury, as is his custom, flashed the leather. Playing center, he went a long way and made a diving catch on a ball in left-center.

The offensive splurge lifted Ellsbury’s average to .278. In the three games against the Twins, Ellsbury batted .500 (7-for-14) and scored four runs. The Red Sox won all three games.

But people have to remember that Ellsbury is still a rookie. He is a very talented rookie, but just about all rookies go through up-and-down stretches, and Ellsbury is no different. Prior to the games against the Twins, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder had been in a slump, batting a mere .208 (16-for-77) in 17 starts, dropping his average from .289 to .268.

Not coincidentally, perhaps, the Red Sox were only 6-11 in those games, the team going from first place with a 2½-game lead over Tampa Bay to second place, five games out.

Obviously, it is not all on Ellsbury’s shoulders for the Sox to repeat as World Series champions, not on a team with proven veterans Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek, Youkilis, David Ortiz, Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon and young stalwart Dustin Pedroia, but there is no understating his importance.

And as the season’s second half deepens, one situation the Red Sox will have to keep their eyes on is making sure Ellsbury doesn’t hit the “wall,” which can sometimes affect rookies. While Ellsbury had a busy season last year, moving from Portland to Pawtucket to Boston and ultimately playing a starring role in helping the team win the World Series, this is his first full year in the big leagues.

That means playing a 162-game season, with every game pressure-packed, every game at home sold out.

Ellsbury and the Sox know he’s just going to have to live and learn, on-the-job training, if you will, in figuring out what he needs to do over the long season to make sure he stays sharp mentally and physically with the dog days of summer and the stretch run ahead of him.

“Playing 162 games is a grind,” said veteran first baseman Sean Casey. “You can’t teach experience. You have to go through 162 games to understand the grind, the travel, getting in late, all of it. It’s a different environment of stress, a different animal.

“You find out, how strong am I mentally? How do I get out of a slump? Playing every day, you have to perform. How do I make those slump periods last one week instead of a month? You just have to experience it.”

Ellsbury is smart and aware of the grind. That’s why he looks around the clubhouse and learns lessons every day.

“I haven’t really sat down and talked with anybody. I’m just learning their routines, what they do on days to prepare, looking at guys who have had success and incorporate what they do into what I try to do to get prepared to play every day,” Ellsbury said.

“The biggest adjustment for me is that you have to be ready to play for 162 games,” Ellsbury said, noting that a minor-league season is 144 games long. “I do a lot of stretching and lifting, but I’m trying not to do too much or too little. There’s a fine balance there. I’m still learning what I need to do to be physically ready to play every day.

“Mentally, you’re competing at such a high level (in the big leagues), … you have to know that you’re not going to go 5-for-5 every day, so you can’t get down on yourself,” said Ellsbury, the Sox’ first-round pick (23rd overall) in the 2005 draft after a stellar career at Oregon State.

There have been times recently when it would have been natural if Ellsbury’s confidence had been shaken a bit. There was his slump, which also negated one of his strengths — stealing bases. Since swiping two bases June 15 in Cincinnati, boosting his total to 33 and setting a Red Sox rookie record, Ellsbury has stolen only 2 bases.

And Ellsbury, who was successful on his first 25 stolen-base attempts in the big leagues before being caught on May 18, has been thrown out three straight times and on four of his last five attempts.

“I’m not really frustrated,” said Ellsbury of his slowdown on the bases. “I’m going to get them. It’s just a matter of time. I have to stay confident. It’s not like I’ve gotten slower. They’ll come again.”

Just like base hits. Ellsbury says he hasn’t been concerned about the results.

“It’s not like you wake up one morning and can’t hit anymore,” said Ellsbury. “You have to stay confident.”

So as the season continues, the Red Sox will have to be careful not to run him into the ground in his first big-league season. They don’t seem, meanwhile, to have to worry about Ellsbury’s confidence level.

“I just have to trust my abilities and let it play out,” Ellsbury said. “For me, it’s all about being prepared. If it doesn’t work one day, I have to prepare to come back the next day and put forth the same effort. When I’m prepared, I’m confident.”

skrasner@projo.com