Ellsbury broke out of a 5-for-46 slump by notching his first multi-hit game since July 9. The three base hits didn't result in any steal attempts for the left fielder, but remain patient. Ellsbury could easily start racking up more steals if he's able to reach base again on a consistent basis.

Ellsbury has reached base just seven times during the streak and the American League leader in steals, with 35, hasn't even attempted to swipe a bag. Part of the reason for his slump is his increased strikeout rate. The rookie struck out once every 7.0 at-bats before the beginning of this streak, but he's fanned once every 4.2 at-bats since.

Jacoby Ellsbury was originally set to bat ninth on Friday, but he returned to the leadoff spot after Manny Ramirez was scratched. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis were set to occupy the first two spots in the lineup, but with Ramirez sidelined, Youkilis is hitting cleanup. [...]

Manager Terry Francona stated that he has no immediate plans to drop Jacoby Ellsbury from the leadoff spot in Boston's lineup, despite his .234 on-base percentage over the previous 26 games, according to the Boston Globe. Francona said, "He's going through the normal growing pains players go through. When we played them, everyone was raving about Arizona's young players, and you look now and they're hitting .250, .260. In Boston you're not supposed to do that. The more he gets on base, the better we are. I have enough faith in him to let him work this thing out."Although he is stuck in a slump, this is still good news for fantasy owners. He holds his most fantasy value with 35 stolen bases.

Manager Terry Francona stated that he has no immediate plans to drop Jacoby Ellsbury from the leadoff spot in Boston's lineup, despite his .234 on-base percentage over the previous 26 games, according to the Boston Globe. Francona said, "He's going through the normal growing pains players go through. When we played them, everyone was raving about Arizona's young players, and you look now and they're hitting .250, .260. In Boston you're not supposed to do that. The more he gets on base, the better we are. I have enough faith in him to let him work this thing out."Although he is stuck in a slump, this is still good news for fantasy owners. He holds his most fantasy value with 35 stolen bases, and would have less opportunities in that department if he is dropped in the order.

Ellsbury's slump could change lineup ... [...]

Red Sox's Ellsbury goes 0-for-5 in loss ... [...]

Jacoby Ellsbury went 4-for-6 in the 18-5 rout of the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday afternoon. Ellsbury had a double and three singles in the third game of a series sweep of Minnesota.The center fielder raised his average seven points to .278 and his runs scored are now at 60 on the season. Surprisingly, the Boston speedster didn't attempt a stolen base, even early on with the game was relatively close.

Jacoby Ellsbury will remain the leadoff man for the Red Sox despite watching his batting average slide 20 points in June. Terry Francona told the Boston Herald, “What he has shown he can do ignites us so much. We believe in him. Once you believe in somebody, you have to kind of let him go through it. I don’t think he’s tired. I think he’s a little frustrated. With what he brings on the bases, if he gets on on an error or a force out at second base, he can change the game with his legs.”We fully expect Ellsbury to bounce back from a lousy June but there is some concern. He walked just three times while striking out in 20 appearances during June. April and May saw him take 27 base-on-balls next to just 19 whiffs. Have pitchers figured him out? Keep an eye on that ratio.

Francona: Ellsbury to remain in leadoff spot ... [...]

J.D. Drew went 0-for-3 but recorded Boston's lone RBI on a sacrifice fly in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the upstart Rays. Jacoby Ellsbury stole his 35th base tonight as well.That was Drew's 50th RBI of the season, with six coming over his last seven contests.