BOSTON -- After handling southpaws respectably in the early portion of his Red Sox career, David Ortiz was a waste against left-handed pitching from 2008-10. Throughout that three-year stretch, he batted just .218. He reached base at a .291 clip. His slugging percentage was .342.

And the timing couldn't have been much worse. He was turning 35, and the guaranteed portion of his deal was expiring. Already a one-trick pony by nature of being a designated hitter, a player his age couldn't afford to let such a regular circumstance ruin that lone trick if he expected to retain his eight-figure salary – or simply stick around.

Though with his career potentially on the cusp, Ortiz found a way to survive.

He won't say how. “See the ball, hit the ball,” is the extent of the specifics he'll offer for fear further detail would allow opponents a chance to adjust to his adjustments. But by acknowledging the collective quantity and quality of left-handed pitching in the American League, and prioritizing his improvement as a means of combating it, Ortiz has made himself one of baseball's best against southpaws.

And this time, with contract matters impending again, he's thereby making a compelling case that such a complete hitter deserves a multi-year extension even if he'll be 37 by the start of next season.

After taking Drew Smyly over the Green Monster on Wednesday — a willingness to go the opposite way is one evident ingredient in Ortiz's recipe — half of his 12 homers on the season have come against lefties, and since the start of 2011, Ortiz's .996 is best among all major-league hitters with at least 130 plate appearances. (That's hitters. Not left-handed hitters. Hitters.)

In a lineup that's been decimated by injuries that's been an invaluable stabilizer, considering Bobby Valentine needn't sit one of his big bats based on matchups. And these days, in this division, those matchups would've forced Ortiz to the bench a bunch.

Among the four other AL East teams are seven southpaw starters, including the ace of every staff – and that's in tune with the league-wide trend. Entering Thursday, lefties had been on the mound for 29.7 percent of AL plate appearances, the most since 2004. They're not slouches, either. They account for 10 of the 27 qualifying pitchers who own an above-average earned run average, and have limited lefties to a .230 average. Even righties are hitting only .254 (worst in a decade).

Yet through Wednesday Ortiz was at .324.

“Lefties are giving a hard time to lefties, righties, switch-hitters – everybody,” said Ortiz, who already has more hits (24) against lefties than he did in all of 2008 (23). “The bottom line is, I remember when I first got to the big leagues you'd take 80 at-bats against lefties. Now, I saw lefties all (Wednesday) night. Probably 70 percent of the time when I come to hit with a man at second, I'm facing a lefty. Lefties, that's what everybody's getting right now.”

Entering Thursday, Ortiz was set to face lefties 253 times this season, and do so in 120 games. Both of which would be career highs, and as long as Adrian Gonzalez is hitting nearby, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is pulverizing righties, those paces probably won't slow much. But the Red Sox needn't be too concerned if that's the case.

Like their designated hitter, they're capable of finding a way to survive.

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THE SOX were without Dustin Pedroia again Thursday, and Valentine said before the game there are no plans to have another infielder join the team in Toronto this weekend. The manager said Will Middlebrooks has been practicing at shortstop in case he's needed there — Mike Aviles would move to second — but the Sox' personnel strategy reveals how wide the club believes the gap to be between Pedroia and the alternatives.

The second baseman still hasn't been disabled, and if he isn't by Sunday, the team will have willingly played shorthanded for six games in order to preserve the mere chance they wouldn't be forced to go without him for another eight.

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BASEBALL'S draft begins today, with the Sox holding the 24th, 31st and 37th overall picks. This is the first draft in which teams can be penalized for failing to stay within spending limits when signing picks, and though GM Ben Cherington wasn't sure how that would change business for the bonus-generous Sox, the club still expects to add talent.

“I'm not quite sure there's that top-end talent,” said amateur scouting director Amiel Sawdaye, “but there is certainly a lot of very talented players. We're going to get a handful of them.”

Dave D'Onofrio covers the Red Sox for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com.