Context, Adrian Gonzalez insisted, was important. There had been worse stretches in his career.

In 2006, when he was trying to secure a big league future in San Diego, he endured a month in which he hit just .167 with a .218 OBP and five extra-base hits in 29 games. In 2007, there was a month-and-a-half stretch in the middle of the summer during which he hit .191 with a .605 OPS over 36 games. In 2009, over almost two months in June and July, he hit .195 (albeit with a .716 OPS) in 48 games.

With such experiences comes perspective. Gonzalez, who entered Thursday night hitting just .263 with a .316 OBP, .406 slugging mark, .722 OPS, just four homers and 16 walks (including, shockingly, none in his prior 20 games), remained calm about his woes. He suggested that his performance has been disappointing but not disastrous.

“I’ve had worse [slumps] than this. Absolutely,” Gonzalez said prior to his team’s 7-0 victory against the Orioles, in which he would play a substantial role. “You could say I’m having a really bad year, but it’s .260. It’s not .220.

“It’s really bad for what I’m capable of doing, but it could be worse. I could be just horrendous,” he continued. “There’s a lot of positives to the things that are going on. I’m leading the league in doubles. I’m top 10 batting with runners in scoring position. So, if you break it down into those things, there are good things going on. I’m just not hitting very good when no one’s on base. If you look at my overall stats, it’s like, ‘Yeah, but when I have runners on base, I’m not doing so bad.’ ”

Put another way: The idea that this stretch represents a slump underscores the notion that Gonzalez remains an elite player for whom a turnaround can quickly transform perceptions about his year.

There’s little doubt that the first two months of the season have represented a struggle for Gonzalez. He suggests that he’s been getting himself into “non-hitter counts” by chasing pitches early in the at-bat, thus resulting in diminished selectivity as the at-bat progresses, not only diminishing walks but also batting average and power while increasing the frequency of his strikeouts.

“Walks are huge,” he said. “That hasn’t been there. I think the biggest reason why I’m hitting .260 is putting myself in non-hitter counts. That’s an adjustment [needed] to pitchers making pitches early in the at-bat or me chasing a pitch early in the at-bat that I shouldn’t have swung at. It all factors in, but if I have a good two weeks, three weeks, I’ll be hitting .280, .290.”

And the first baseman/outfielder expressed certainty that more familiar results are always close at hand.

“I come into every game with the mentality that I have a chance to go 4-for-4. If I go 0-for-1, then I can go 3-for-my-next-3. I can get a hit in my next at-bat,” said Gonzalez. “I’m always going into an at-bat with a positive mindset.”

On Thursday night, that positive mindset translated into positive results. He delivered the key hit in the game, stepping to the plate in the bottom of the first with the bases loaded, two outs and the game still in a scoreless tie. Orioles starter Brian Matusz was on the ropes, having already reached 30 pitches, but had a chance to escape and potentially find his groove.

Gonzalez took a first-pitch fastball for a strike and a slider for a ball. On a 1-1 pitch, he was looking for a fastball in, got a slider and was able to adjust for long enough to smash the ball just inside the first-base foul line for a two-run double. The Sox were on their way, and so was Gonzalez. He went 3-for-4 with that double while driving in two. His 21 doubles are indeed most in the AL. His average with runners in scoring position is now a hearty .362 (9th best in the league) with a 1.018 OPS (11th).

“There is that mentality of, I’ve got runners in scoring position, I can get to two strikes, but once I get to two strikes, I’m going to do whatever it takes, because we’ve got guys in scoring position,” said Gonzalez. “There are times, nobody on base, leading off an inning, you tell yourself to do whatever you can to get on base. Nobody on base – especially for me, I’m not a base stealer – with one out, two outs, try to drive it. You can get big a little bit. You can try to do too much.”

But if Gonzalez is able to correct that flaw, then he feels his season can reach more familiar heights. The Red Sox star feels that it is a matter of when, not if, and Thursday offered a glimmer to suggest that his ascent -- if it has not already begun -- may not be far off on the horizon.