Ortiz: 'We Believe We Can Bounce Back'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Red Sox fans are not happy with the team right now, and David Ortiz understands their frustration.
At 22-29 the Red Sox sit in last place in the American League East. Their pitching and hitting have been inconsistent throughout the season, and more recently, their defense has followed.
Even with the calendar just flipping to June, many are writing off Boston's chances of making the playoffs. That's another notion that Ortiz can understand.
"I don't blame anyone to look at it that way, because they haven't seen the results that we all expected," the Red Sox DH said in the clubhouse Tuesday prior to Boston's game against the Twins. "That's one side of it. On the other side, we believe we can bounce back. We have a lot of baseball left and we think we can turn it around.
"We haven't been able to combine things; hitting, pitching, defense – all of them at once. It has cost us some games," said Ortiz. "When we put that together, it's a different story. I stay positive and believe we can bounce back and get things done, because I've seen everyone working really hard to get to that level. If you don't see that it's a difference story, but I think at some point we'll get there."
Ortiz, now in his 13th season with the team, admits there is frustration in the clubhouse with the team's failures so far this season, but said not to worry, the team isn't giving up on turning things around.
"We've tried a lot of things and none of them have worked out. But that's the worst thing that can happen in baseball, not trying," he said. "We're going to keep on trying, trust me."
Ortiz noted his own struggles, with the slugger batting just .214 in May and .224 on the season. But he's not letting his -- or the team's -- offensive woes temper his confidence.
"I always look at the positive of things, and never let anyone walk away from being positive," he said. "I've been in worse situations than this and I know how to figure it out and bounce back."
For those saying he's washed up, Ortiz said his baseball obituary has been written before, and he'll be back to his old self soon -- he hopes.
"What can I tell you, man? A lot of people looked at me like that seven years ago, and here I am still here," he said. "I don't have a timetable for that, and I don't think anyone else has it either. If it happens, who cares. I'm just another player who comes in and comes out. Everyone's time is up at some point, but I don't think that's my problem. I'm just going to keep on trying like I normally do."
Ortiz doesn't think manager John Farrell or others in the organization should lose their jobs over the fiasco that is the first two months of the season, and it's too early to count this team out.
"Oh yeah, oh yeah. Don't count [us] out until September shows up," he said confidently."Everybody is busting their tail off trying to figure things out. Hopefully things happen."
