Ortiz continues to have Yankees' number

BOSTON -- David Ortiz has figured out the recipe to success against the Yankees. The slugger has performed well against them throughout his career, and this weekend was no exception.

Ortiz made only six outs in 19 plate appearances (7-for-13, six walks) for an on-base percentage of .684 in the four-game series. The Yankees limited the damage, holding Ortiz to two RBIs and two runs, but that doesn't relieve all of the sting.

Sunday night, Ortiz was 1-for-4 with an RBI double, but he struck out twice and hit into a double play. His double off the wall in the third inning drove in Pedro Ciriaco, the speedy newcomer.

"I like to play against the best. I just get my adrenaline going," Ortiz said. "I like to compete against everybody, but the Yankees have been the team that challenge me the most. It's not just me; they challenge everybody."

Ortiz's best game of the series was Friday, when he went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Ortiz has been having a good year against the Yankees, going 13-for-21 with seven walks for a .619 batting average and .714 on-base percentage despite the Yankees' 5-1 advantage in the season series.

This kind of success against the Yankees is nothing new for Ortiz. He has been a guy that they just cannot stop.

Among active batters with at least 150 plate appearances against the Yankees, Ortiz is first in home runs (37) and RBIs (130). He has the second- best on-base plus slugging percentage at .773, behind only Alex Rodriguez.

"[David is] a great competitor," manager Bobby Valentine said. "[He] knows it's the height of competition and just really loves it."

Ortiz is in the top 10 in the American League in several offensive categories this season, at .312 with 22 homers and 57 RBIs.

The Yankees need to figure something out against Ortiz, because he seems to have them figured out pretty well dating to the days of "Who's your Papi" in the 2003 AL Championship Series.

Meanwhile, second baseman Ciriaco, who was called up before the series and debuted Saturday afternoon, settled in nicely for the Red Sox after going 0-for-4 in his first game.

He was 3-for-4 with a walk Sunday night after going 4-for-5 with four RBIs in the Saturday nightcap. He's hitting .538.

And when it comes to playing the Yankees, those are numbers Big Papi can relate to.