A week and a half ago, David Ortiz sat out a game for the Red Sox. He was not happy about the event but understood.

Ortiz said then, “I always do what the manager tells me.”

Not a whole lot changed last week. He went into Friday night’s game hitting .111 with a home run and four RBIs. During the week his average went up from .070 and his RBI total went up by one.

Yes, it is early and, yes, there has to be concern.

The knees bothered him last year and the question is how much are they bothering him now at the plate? Standing by his locker on April 13, he said, “I’m fine. Not the way I want to be. I’m OK.”

That’s a lot to think about tucked into three short sentences. One thing for sure, he is saying he is not where he would like to be physically.

Mechanically, hitting coach Dave Magadan told me he is working with Ortiz on staying back on the ball. “He is anxious and lunging,” said Madigan last week. “I bet half the balls he has hit are off the end of the bat. He’s trying to reach out and hit the ball before it gets to him.”

Ortiz says the problem is more physical than mental, but he did say, “I know what’s wrong with the swing.”

More vital to Ortiz: “I know exactly what I’m doing wrong, and it’s all up here,” he said, pointing at his head.

“This game is very mental,” said Ortiz. “Your mind takes over. In my situation my mind works more than anything else.”

That’s why Terry Francona chose to rest him. The need was for a mental break. Francona wanted him to know the night before that he was not playing so he could just give the brain a rest.

“Sometimes when you’re fighting, fighting, fighting, your mind needs some time off,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz did that, and on that Sunday he limited his swings prior to the game to “just a few to loosen up in case they need me.”

Ortiz has been in funks before. They are part of a hitter’s life. Early in the season, especially when the Sox and Yankees are playing, all matters Red Sox take on monumental size.

Multiply that by the importance of Ortiz to Boston, and the headlines are big indeed.

The real concern goes deeper. A slump in baseball is part of the game. Playing hurt is also part of the game, but at some point the hurt so strangles the effort that the results don’t come.

Ortiz believes he will be fine this season. The weather is warming up and the knees might feel better when the heat hits them.

He will correct the mechanical problems and settle his mind down a bit.

That is the hope. The results will speak for themselves.

Friday, he did hit a grand slam against the Rangers. For the four-game series, he was 7-for-16 with 11 RBIs.

In the meantime, the Sox do not need injuries to the likes of Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell. No team can win with those names out and Big Papi struggling to find his way back to mental peace, home runs and RBIs.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net