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PAWTUCKET - A standing room-only crowd, four straight sell-outs, games televised every night, lots and lots of convoluted jugs with balls and pieces of paper to sign an autograph - all to watch David Ortiz swing a baseball bat.

The five-time American League all-star, with the most RBI (642) in Major League Baseball over the past five seasons, Ortiz positioned himself in the No. 3 spot of the batting order for the Pawtucket Red Sox and into the batter's box at McCoy Stadium Thursday night.

"I'm going to need eight to 10 games, I have to work on my mechanics, my timing," said Ortiz, who began a four-game rehab assignment with the PawSox against the Toledo MudHens.

And like Manny Ramirez and Curt Schilling among other members of the Boston Red Sox who sauntered onto Ben Mondor Way to better prepare themselves for Fenway Park, Ortiz did not look or feel out of place - finally, in a lockerroom, or at the plate.

Ortiz spanked a two-strike, lead-off home run over the short right field wall, igniting a seven-run fourth inning as the PawSox paraded around "Big Papi" for a 15-6 victory over the Mud Hens before the fifth-largest crowd (11,460) in club history. "I don't think my wrist will be a problem," said Ortiz, shelved since June 1 on the disabled list after tearing a tendon sheath in his left wrist at Baltimore. "I'm here to work on things the way that you normally do.

"I've been out six weeks, I'm not used to it. I'm used to playing. But, I've got to be smart about it."

Ortiz spent the All-Star Game break in New York, taking batting practice for two days at Yankee Stadium. Now, he and the Red Sox need to see his progress at the plate against live pitching.

"Sometimes I'll get a little bit of soreness, but that might be something that I do from playing," said Ortiz. "When I first started, I was holding back, I was getting some pain, I was getting frustrated."

Instead of babying the wrist, Ortiz swung for the fences. "I started swinging harder and feeling less pain - because I wasn't holding back. I'm not focused on hitting the ball (with the PawSox) as much as seeing the ball, the off-speed pitches, the breaking pitches."

Boston hopes that Ortiz won't be holding back or hampered in time for a projected return to the Red Sox roster for a late July series against the Yankees. A quartet of games in Pawtucket, then three or four more with the AA-Portland SeaDogs next week and the 32-year-old expects to be ready.

Ortiz took pre-game batting practice in a group with PawSox members Keith Ginter, George Kottaras and Dusty Brown, hitting 11 balls out of the park. When live action began, he fouled out to third base on a two-strike pitch in the first inning and then lined out to first base in his third at-bat, his second of the fifth inning. And in the sixth inning, he drew a leadoff walk and retired to the dugout for the duration of the slugfest.

"It was like Fenway Park, the fans were unbelievable," said Ortiz of the "Papi, Papi" salutes. "They pump you up. I want to play all seven games.

"I always do well in the second half of the season, you look at my numbers," said Ortiz, who was batting .252 with 13 homers and 43 RBI. "Sometimes, a player gets injured or tired, that's a big issue, but I try to maintain the same kind of numbers. I'm pain-free. I'm looking for feeling normal."

Boston is hoping that Ortiz can provide some power and production as the Red Sox are just 14-16 in one run games, Manny Ramirez has nearly as many strikeouts (88) as hits (96) and the club has never enjoyed more than a 31/2 game lead in its 63 days sitting in first place. Ortiz has been hitting on a machine in Boston too, "trying to keep busy, that I'm mentally fine," he added. "I have an idea how I feel if I check a swing. Right now, I'm swinging like I don't even remember if I had surgery. That's the most important thing, to get it out of my mind."

Ortiz' homer sparked a seven-run outburst with George Kottaras following with a two-run homer (No. 17) to right field, Gil Velasquez following with a two-strike, two-run single and Jeff Bailey stroking a two-strike, two-run homer (No. 24) - all off of Toldeo right-handed starter Virgil Vasquez.

"I was seeing ball, I was swinging away good," said Ortiz. "Everything came out good. If I struck out, I could have blamed it on being away! The guys (in Boston) were giving me flack, Pawtucket better win while I'm here."

FOUL BALLS - Eight HRs were hit in the game, two solo shots by Toledo's Brent Clevlen Pawsox catcher George Kottaras, with his fifth-inning HR, now has 19 RBI through the past 22 games Jeff Bailey extended his hitting streak to eight games with a first-inning single, then clubbed his 24th homer in the fifth inning, boosting his RBI total to 64; having his eighth three-hit game of the season Jon VanEvery (117 strikeouts) clubbed a three-run homer (No. 24) in the fifth inning, boosting his RBI total to 57 Chris Carter had his 29th multiple-hit game, after batting .217 (13-for-60) in his previous 16 games, including a two-run HR (No. 20) in the sixth, boosting his team-best RBI-total to 68 PawSox starting pitcher Edgar Martinez had never worked longer than 5.2 innings, having one win and five no-decisions in his previous six starts. Martinez allowed just four hits with five strikeouts and two walks through 6.1 innings, having four 1-2-3 frames, picking a runner off first base in the fourth The PawSox brought up Eastern League All-Star OF Jeff Corsaletti (.311, 20 doubles, 12 HR's) and 1b-DH Sandy Madera (.287, 27 RBI) from Portland, in addition to RHP Michael Bowden (9-4, 2.33 ERA in 19 starts). Bowden remains on Portland's disabled list with a strained calf. Corsaletti made a great catch in the RF corner for the first out of the seventh inning, falling into the stands Devern Hansack (4-9 with 77 strikeouts) hurls in tonight's 7:05 start against former PawSoxer Anastacio Martinez Some of the other "name" players having rehab stints with the PawSox also included Roger Clemens ('93, '95), Jose Canseco ('95, '96), Nomar Garciaparra ('01), Mike Lowell ('08) and Mike Greenwell ('95, '96) Justin Masterson hurled 1.1 innings of relief allowing two hits, including a homer, throwing 16 strikes among his 22 pitches.

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Vasquez, Johnson (4), Rogers (6), Beltran (8) and St. Pierre; Martinez, Masterson (7), Smith (8) and Kottaras. W-Martinez (4-1). L-Vasquez (6-9). Att.-11,460.