Moral of the Story? Pedroia Knows His Papi.

It was just a few weeks ago that David Ortiz was hitting .149 with 3 HR and 6 RBI. Even the most loyal members of Red Sox Nation - the ones who know that without Ortiz, the count would be at 91 years and running - were ready to see Terry Francona sit him down and for Theo Epstein to give him the Donald Trump treatment. The lowest point for Ortiz was when he hit into an eighth-inning double play in a tie game against the Angels on May 4 in what turned into an eventual 5-1 Red Sox victory. After the game, Dustin Pedroia came to the defense of his larger-than-life designated hitter, famously stating: "A couple years ago I had 60 at-bats, I was hitting .170, everyone was ready to kill me too. What happened? Laser show. Relax." At the time, Pedroia's comments seemed to be nothing more than support for a teammate who was quickly nearing the end of a great career. Who knew at the time that Pedroia was serving as a prophet speaking to the return of Big Papi? Just 27 days later, Ortiz has morphed back into the Big Papi we all came to worship from his emergence in 2003 to his wrist injury in 2008. That version of Big Papi made a habit of crushing opposing pitching - especially when it counted the most - and led the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. His production has exploded since Pedroia spoke up on his behalf and if it keeps up, Ortiz could emerge as a dark horse candidate for MVP of the American League. Over the course of those 27 days, Papi has raisd his batting average to .272. He also 11 homeruns (10 in the month of May), 31 RBI (27 in May), and an OPS of .929. The most important part of the transition from David Ortiz to Big Papi has been the addition of a much needed swagger to the Red Sox lineup. Papi has lead an offensive revival for the Red Sox, who have crept back into the AL East race with Tampa Bay, New York, and Toronto. The return of Big Papi makes the jobs of Francona and Epstein easier as they prepare for a summer run at the playoffs. Francona knows he has a source of production in the heart of his order and Epstein can look into strengthening the bullpen and finding complimentary pieces for the lineup instead of searching for an impact hitter. Hopefully Pedroia will find the time to speak about the struggling (and injured) Josh Beckett so the Boston starting rotation can have an additional Cy Young candidate to add to their current stable of Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and John Lackey.