SEATTLE - One day after David Ortiz had probably the worst game of his professional career - going 0 for 7 and leaving 12 men on base - the designated hitter got a seat on the bench, a move that his manager and teammates hoped would clear his head.

``Just sometimes stepping back will help,'' said Terry Francona, who talked to Ortiz after Thursday's 5-4 loss to Angels. ``Maybe I was too late in doing this. I hope not. I just think he needs a deep breath. Even when David's struggling, I love his presence in the lineup. But I think also if there's a time to step back and take a deep breath, it will help us in the long run. I just think today was an obvious one after talking to him.''

When asked how long Ortiz would be out of the starting lineup, Francona said, ``We'll see. It might go a couple [days].'' Ortiz didn't fight his manager on the decision, Francona said.

Ortiz is batting just .208 with no home runs.

``I think any time something like this happens it can't just be one thing,'' Francona said. ``You see bad luck, you'll see bad habits - like mechanical things - struggling with confidence. [Thursday] his first time up he hit that ball right on the screws. He didn't elevate it. Now all of a sudden I think your human nature is, `OK, I need to do something different because that wasn't good enough.' Especially when you're struggling.

``I don't think he can work harder. He's working with [hitting coach Dave Magadan]. Mags comes out and says he's doing everything in the cage that he's supposed to, it's actually going pretty well.''

Asked whether he might consider dropping Ortiz from the third spot in the batting order, Francona said, ``I think it can be counterproductive.''

Francona told Ortiz to come to the park later yesterday, to stay out of the batting cage if he needed to, to just take some time away. Ortiz was briefly in the clubhouse, wearing headphones, before he left the room. He later sent word through a media relations staff member that he would not be speaking to the media.

``I think your personality has a lot to do with it,'' Mike Lowell said. ``I think the fact that he cares so much makes it almost worse because you can see that he's trying, but he's not in synch. If you don't feel in synch, it seems like every good pitch you get you foul it off. Hitting with two strikes every at-bat. Then after you foul off a pitch they make their pitch.

``I think we all still have a lot of confidence in David. I don't buy the bat speed's slow, I don't believe in four months you lose bat speed. I don't buy the Manny [Ram?rez] deal. I just think he's maybe not seeing the ball well; that triggers other things.''

Lowell also went through a horrific season, in 2005, the year before he was a throw-in in the Josh Beckett deal for Hanley Ram?rez. The fear was that Lowell was done, but he responded with one of the best seasons of his career in 2007.

``I think the best thing is for him to say the [heck] with everything that's gone on,'' Lowell said. ``Whenever he's back in the lineup, the season starts that day. If he goes 0 for 4, big deal. Guys go 0 for 4 on Opening Day all the time. If you stare at the numbers, he'll never win. He can go 4 for 4 and he's not going to be happy with his numbers. He's just got to take it from Point A and go from there.''

In for a tuneup

John Smoltz, who turned 42 yesterday, threw two innings in an extended spring training game as he attempts to come back from major shoulder surgery last June, and from a setback at the end of April. Because extended spring games can be creatively umpired, Francona described Smoltz's outing this way: ``First inning he punched out three guys, second inning I guess they kept him out there, in his opinion it was six or seven outs.'' The plan is for Smoltz to throw probably three innings in an extended spring training game Wednesday . . . Daisuke Matsuzaka started and pitched five innings last night for Triple A Pawtucket in its 6-0 loss to Toledo. Matsuzaka allowed two runs, both earned, on three hits and one walk. He struck out nine and threw 70 pitches, 48 of them for strikes. All of the hits and both of the runs came in the first inning, with the walk coming in the second. Matsuzaka will be back in Boston when the team returns.

Minor move

Lefthanded reliever Javier Lopez was outrighted to Pawtucket, after being designated for assignment Sunday to make room for Daniel Bard. Lopez had a 9.26 ERA with Boston this season in 11 2/3 innings . . . Kevin Youkilis took batting practice and is scheduled to do so again early today so the team can gauge where he is in his recovery from a left oblique strain. The Sox are hoping to get Youkilis some at-bats before he's eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday . . . Ramon Ram?rez got eight outs on just 16 pitches Thursday. He came on in relief of Hideki Okajima with one out and Bobby Abreu on third base in the eighth, and got out of the jam thanks to a 9-2 double play on which right fielder J.D. Drew caught a short fly on the run, then nailed Abreu at the plate. Ram?rez then had two more perfect innings. ``It gave us what we thought was a really good chance to win that game,'' Francona said. ``You look up when you're starting to get into a situation where you're, not running out of pitching, but you're using a lot of guys. Then you send him out for multiple innings, and it's like he's probably available tonight. Pretty rare. Pretty efficient and pretty dominating.''