As great as Adrian Gonzalez has been, as impressive as Josh Reddick has looked, perhaps the finest feel-good story in the Red Sox’s lineup is the resurgence of Jacoby Ellsbury.
The center fielder, whose 2010 was ruined by a spate of injuries, just might be the hottest hitter in an offense full of them. He’s batting .316 on the season, with a career-high 15 home runs.
Two of those came yesterday during the Sox’s 4-0 win over the lowly Orioles. No surprise there:?Ellsbury is on a 29-game hitting streak against Baltimore, with a .445 average, six homers and 20 RBIs during the span.
“He kind of put us on his shoulders today,” manager Terry Francona said. “He does that from time to time.”
All but forgotten in spring training with the arrival of Carl Crawford, Ellsbury looks poised to set full-season career highs in every major offensive category.
He’s within 30 runs of 2008’s 98 and a half-dozen RBIs of 2009’s 60, and he’s well ahead of his previous full-year bests in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and home runs.
Ellsbury and the Sox, who’ve won four of five, have today off.
They’re back at Fenway Park for the first time since July 10 tomorrow, when they host the Seattle Mariners.
