BOSTON — David Ortiz is not picking on the Yankees. It just seems that way.

The Red Sox slugger continued burning New York yesterday when he had two hits and four RBI in a 7-5 Sox victory. The hits included his sixth homer of the season, a two-run blast in the fourth that accounted for what proved to be the winning runs.

“It’s not something I’m trying to do, it just happens,” Ortiz said of his work against New York. “It’s not something you can control. I try to do the same (against everyone).”

Ortiz now has had 12 home runs and 39 RBI against the Yankees in the last two years alone.

“When I go to the plate, I don’t think about the situation, whether there is one out or what. I just try to put a good swing on the ball,” Ortiz said.

Yesterday, he ripped a 1-1 pitch from starter Jeff Karstens deep into the stands, just inside the foul pole in right.

Dice-K in national limelight

There is no doubt about the big attraction tonight when the Sox will try to sweep the series. It is Daisuke Matsuzaka’s first prime time appearance on national television (The game is on ESPN).

Add the fact that it also comes against the Yankees and it puts Matsuzaka squarely in the spotlight.

“He’s certainly not lived through it,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona of Matsuzaka becoming part of the rivalry with New York. “I know my first year I think I said all the right things, but I had no idea. I don’t think anybody does until you go through it. Saying that, he has pitched a lot of professional games and he’s been a big deal, the center of attention and a real good pitcher. This certainly won’t overwhelm him. From what I’ve seen of him, he enjoys immensely things like this. He’ll be just fine.”

While Matsuzaka has pitched well in his three starts, tonight will be the first time he will face a potent lineup like the Yankees have, so it’ll be interesting to see the outcome.

Varitek catches a break

Television has helped ensure that Jason Varitek will catch all three games of this series for the Sox.

Many teams like to give their catcher a rest when a day game follows a night game. The Red Sox will do that with Varitek once the season heats up. However, Francona said he had hoped to use Varitek in all three games against the Yankees, especially since Tim Wakefield is not scheduled to pitch.

Yesterday afternoon’s game did not start until 3:55, giving Varitek more time to recover than a 1 or 2 p.m. start from Friday night’s thriller. Even better, tonight’s finale is a night game, thanks to ESPN.

“We’ve kind of established that we know we can win when he doesn’t hit. (We want him in) because of his catching abilities and running the game,” Francona said. “But when he does hit, it certainly helps. He’s a switch hitter with power. He’s that bridge to the bottom of the order. It certainly did impact the game last night. We’ve been used to that a long time here.”

Yankees are hurting

New York’s injury problems continue.

Catcher Jorge Posada, one of a host of Yankees off to a great start at the plate, hurt his thumb Friday and did not play yesterday.

Johnny Damon was limited to a late pinch-hitting appearance because of a sore back and a sore right hamstring. Damon said he felt his back tighten up when the team played on the turf in Minnesota two weeks ago, and part of that discomfort, he said, can be attiributed to his tight hamstrings. He said he felt more discomfort in his back Friday night after making a sliding catch on Kevin Youkilis’ looping fly ball in left-center in the fifth inning. He caught his cleats in the turf while making the inning-ending catch.

“My back is sore. It’s not in one spot. It’s all over,” Damon said. “So I’ll get some treatment. We’ll figure it out and get it right so I can play (today).”

More talk about the ball

Yanks first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz spent much of his time before the game yesterday in a long discussion with reporters about two issues.

One was about his positioning on Coco Crisp’s triple in the five-run Boston eighth-inning Friday night. Mientkiewitz did not guard the line and the bouncing ball got past him for a triple.

That turned out to be the smaller part of the chat. More time was spent on Mientkiewicz’ experience with the Red Sox and, especially, the controversy he was involved in when he kept the ball he caught for the final out of the 2004 World Series. Mientkiewicz came under fire for keeping the ball for some time before donating it to the Hall of Fame.

“I wanted to give it to the Hall of Fame long before that, but I didn’t know the protocol,” he said.

Mientkiewicz spoke at length about how the incident bothered him. It caused problems for him and his family and, for a time, colored his experience with the Red Sox. But he said he realized that focusing on the ball was not the right way to remember his time in Boston.

“My wife loved it here and I enjoyed it,” he said. “My only regret is not being able to come back for a full year.”

Mientkiewcz detailed how he got along well with his teammates while he was in Boston and how much respect he has for John Henry and Theo Epstein.

“There are no ill feelings toward the Red Sox at all,” he said. “My time here was phenomenal.”

Mientkiewicz spoke about how he gave the ball from the seventh game of the Yankees series to Derek Lowe; how, on the advice of Tino Martinez, he put away the glove he used in the World Series-clinching game and now has it in a case; and how he now enjoys being with the Yankees, although he does not enjoy looking at his batting average (.139).

While fans might get uptight with the Sox-Yankees rivalry, it is not the same among the players, he insisted.

“The thing that gets lost in the shuffle is both sides respect each other immensely,” he said.

PawSox next for Lester?

Jon Lester is heading back to Boston. The left-hander began the season in Single-A Greenville as he continues to recover from anaplastic large cell lympohoma, which he was diagnosed with last August, and he’ll be in Boston today.

Francona said before yesterday’s game that the young southpaw will throw a side session at Fenway Park before the club decides Lester’s next course of action. It’s likely he’ll join the Pawtucket Red Sox.

pkenyon@projo.com