CINCINNATI — It didn’t take long yesterday for Jacoby Ellsbury to break his tie with Amby McConnell (1908) for the Red Sox’ rookie stolen-base record.

Ellsbury, leading off for the Sox, smacked an 0-and-2 opposite-field single through the left side and promptly stole second on Homer Bailey’s first pitch to the next hitter, Dustin Pedroia. The stolen base was his 32nd of the season, putting McConnell in his rear-view mirror in the Sox’ record books.

The speedy outfielder didn’t rest on his laurels, though. He swiped third base on Bailey’s 1-and-1 pitch to Pedroia, boosting his major-league-leading total to 33. He has been caught only three times. He is 7 for 7 in attempts at stealing third.

Ellsbury’s speed helped the Sox to a quick 1-0 lead. He trotted home on Pedroia’s sacrifice fly to right.

Ellsbury has been on a stolen-base tear. He has stolen 14 bases in his last 14 starts.

He’s not just a Punch-and-Judy hitter, though, at least not in the bandbox known as the Great American Ball Park here. Ellsbury ripped another 0-and-2 pitch for a homer into the right-field seats in the third, extending Boston’s lead to 4-0. It was his fifth homer of the year, but first since May 21.

It’s understatement to say Ellsbury is an exciting player who can make a difference in more than ways than one, even offensively.

“That’s why we have him at the top of the lineup,” said manager Terry Francona. “For a young kid to get in a hole 0 and 1 or 0 and 2, he’ll take what the pitcher gives him. He’ll fight it off or slap it the other way. He doesn’t over-swing very often. He does a very good job. His legs come into play. He’s a smart baserunner and an aggressive baserunner. He changes the game.”

Ellsbury says he is ready to run, under the right circumstances.

“If the opportunity is there I’ll go. I don’t want to force anything. If it’s a good situation for me to go in, I’ll take advantage of it. I could steal more bases but I’m not going to go just to go. I want to pick quality stolen-base attempts. I hope I get 60, but I want to let the game dictate what happens.”

He said breaking the record was meaningful to him.

“It’s pretty neat to break a 100-year-old record with the Red Sox, the franchise that has so much history. It’s pretty special,” he said.

Easy time for Beckett

Josh Beckett had to work his way out of jams in the first two innings, but the rest, especially given the offensive backing he received, made it easy for him.

He also made it easy on himself by throwing 22 of 28 first-pitch strikes.

“I just wanted to do what I’m supposed to do — go deep in games. I think I did a good job of that,” said Beckett, who limited the Reds to six hits, fanning six and walking two.

Beckett was lifted after seven innings and 98 pitches with the Sox on top, 9-0. He improved his record to 7-4. He’s 2-0 with a 2.52 earned-run average over his last four starts.

Manny sits again

Manny Ramirez was out of the starting lineup for the second day in a row because of tightness in his right hamstring. The Sox are hoping Ramirez will be able to start in left field tonight in Philadelphia, but Francona wants to make sure he can play an entire game and not have to come out in the middle of it.

Dice-K goes for PawSox

Daisuke Matsuzaka, who hasn’t pitched since May 27 because of a strained right rotator cuff, will be starting for the Pawtucket Red Sox tonight in Lehigh Valley in a rehab start.

It is expected the right-hander will throw 70-80 pitches, or roughly five innings.

“It’s a transitional start for him, is what it is,” said Francona.

If all goes well, Matsuzaka will rejoin the Red Sox’ rotation for a start at home against St. Louis on Saturday.

Matsuzaka will be accompanied on the roughly one-hour trip from Philadelphia, where Boston will be playing the Phillies, by his translator, Masa Hoshino; his massage therapist, Takanori Maeda, and assistant trainer Masai Takahashi.

Varitek returns

Jason Varitek, who missed the last three games because of strep throat, was back in the starting lineup yesterday. He still looked a bit under the weather and a bit thinner, but he was well enough to catch.

Varitek wore a powder blue catcher’s mask as well as powder-blue-trimmed chest protector and shin guards, items that will be auctioned off for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Around the bases

Coco Crisp homered in his first at-bat, giving him home runs in back-to-back plate appearances. He put one in the seats in the 10th inning of Saturday’s game. He now has four homers. He hit his first two on back-to-back days, too, on May 10-11 in Minnesota . . . J.D. Drew’s homer was his 11th of the year in his 59th game and 195th at-bat. A year ago Drew hit 11 homers in 140 games and 466 at-bats. Drew has five homers in his last eight games and seven in his last 14 games . . . Pedroia has only 12 hits over his last 20 games, but three of them have been for homers, including his solo shot in the sixth yesterday . . . What was left of a crowd of 39,958 gave former Reds star Sean Casey a long and loud ovation when he came to the plate as a pinch hitter in the eighth . . . The Sox received a homer from each of the first three batters in their order for the first time since July 10, 1997, when Nomar Garciaparra, John Valentin and Mo Vaughn each went deep at home against Toronto.

skrasner@projo.com