My notes from the weekend:

Friday, July 13 – at Tampa Bay (W, 3-1)

* – David Ortiz hit his 401st career homer in the first inning Friday night. It was his 60th first inning blast, tied for the most he’s hit in any inning (4th).  It was also number 41 against the Rays, tying him with Manny Ramirez for the second most ever against them. They trail only Alex Rodriguez (46).

Note this: Ortiz’ shot was a solo homer, meaning that 31 of his last 32 home runs have either been solo or two-run homers.

Note this too: The homer came following a 3-and-0 count, his 18th such homer since Ortiz joined the Red Sox in 2003, easily the most such home runs in the majors in that span:

18 – David Ortiz
14 – Adam Dunn
14 – Paul Konerko
14 – Albert Pujols
14 – Chase Utley

* – In the bottom of the first, Franklin Morales retired the Rays’ first batter of the game. So what? Well, for one thing, the Red Sox had allowed the first batter of the game to reach base via hit or walk 19 times in the previous 30 games. Since 2008, only one other team has allowed the first batter to reach 19 times over a 30-game stretch: this year’s Twins (May 16 through June 19).

* – Rookie sensation Pedro Ciriaco singled in two runs in the second inning for the Red Sox, his second multi-RBI hit as a member of the big league club. So far in 2011, Jarrod Saltalamacchia leads the club with 12 multi-RBI hits (through Friday):

12 – Jarrod Saltalamacchia
9 – Cody Ross
9 – David Ortiz
7 – Will Middlebrooks

Note this: Texas’ Josh Hamilton leads the majors with 18 such hits this season, followed by the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen, with 15.

Note this too: Last season, Jacoby Ellsbury led the Red Sox in multi-RBI hits with 23, six fewer than the 29 put up by major league leader Matt Kemp of the Dodgers.

* – The Red Sox set down the Rays in order in four different innings Friday night. It was the first time they’ve had four such innings since July 3, but the 31st time this season. That trails only the White Sox (35) and Mariners (35) in the AL.

* – Morales fanned Red Sox Nation’s arch-enemy Luke Scott with the bases loaded and two outs in the 4th inning. Think you can name the Red Sox pitcher since 1950 with the most bases-loaded-and-two-outs strikeouts? Answer later.

* – Matt Albers struck out three consecutive batters over the 6th and 7th innings on Friday. Would you believe that it’s the EIGHTH time in his career that he’s fanned three in a row? Five of those have come as a member of the Red Sox. It’s his second such streak this season, as he got three straight at Baltimore on May 22.

* – The White Sox won Friday night in Kansas City, 9-8 in 14 innings. Chicago has now scored eight or more runs (and collected 12 or more hits) in their first game following the break in each of the last six years, winning all six games.

SATURDAY, JULY 14 – at Tampa Bay (L, 5-3)

* – How have injuries affected the state of the Red Sox starting lineup on Saturday?  David Ortiz entered the game with 401 home runs, 898 extra-base hits, and 1,324 RBI in his career. That’s 108 more homers, 64 more extra-base hits, and 149 more RBI than the other eight hitters in the starting lineup had in their careers COMBINED.

* – The Red Sox allowed the two decisive runs in the 7th inning on Saturday, their 51st and 52nd runs allowed in the 7th this season, the most in the AL:

52 – Red Sox
47 – Blue Jays
45 – Twins

* – Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out in the 9th inning as a pinch hitter. Since July 6, Salty has gotten to two strikes during 14 different plate appearances and struck out in 12 of them (the others were a walk and flyout on Friday night). Prior to this stretch, he had struck out in “just” 62-of-131 two-strike plate appearances (47%).

Note this: Saltalamacchia began his career by going 2-for-25 (.080) as a pinch hitter through May 17 of this season. Since then, he’s gone 3-for-6 with a home run as a pinch hitter (including last night’s “K”).

* – The home run surrendered by Andrew Miller last night snapped a streak of 17 appearances by Miller without a home run allowed, easily the longest such streak of his career:

17 – May 26 through July 13, 2012
11 – September 15 (2011) through May 21 (2012)
9 – August 30 (2006) through May 18 (2007)

SUNDAY, JULY 15 – at Tampa Bay (W, 7-3)

* – The Red Sox pounded out 14 hits on Sunday, the most by the Sox in Tampa since July 28, 2007, 47 games ago. It snapped a 14-game streak where the Red Sox had collected fewer than 10 hits at the Trop, their second longest such streak at any single opponent’s park since 1970. From 1970-72, the Red Sox failed to reach double figures in hits at Yankee Stadium for 15 straight games.

* – Tampa Bay starter James Shields has now received a decision in his last 20 consecutive starts against the Red Sox. It’s the 3rd longest such streak against Boston since 1950:

29 – Jack Morris, 1987-94
23 – Joe Coleman, 1968-74
20 – James Shields, 2007-12

Note this: Shields has gone 8-12 in those 20 starts.

* – After collecting three or more hits in 20 games last season (4th most in the majors), Jacoby Ellsbury had his first three-hit game of 2012 on Sunday. The Red Sox are 16-5 in those games.

* – RANDOM STAT OF THE DAY: Opponents batted around against the Royals only twice after July 26 in 2010 (August 16 and September 24). Then opponents batted around against them seven times during April, 2012 alone. As of the break, the Royals were 0-19 in games in which their opponent batted around in at least one inning. The league as a whole wins about 19% of the time when their opponent bats around in an inning.

Trivia answer: Since 1950, 234 different Red Sox pitchers have recorded a strikeout to end an inning with the bases loaded. The top three:

22 – Roger Clemens
19 – Ike Delock
15 – Jonathan Papelbon; Dick Radatz

Note this: Nolan Ryan has 80 such punch outs, the most in the majors since 1950.

Have a good day, folks! Welcome back, Youk.