It started modestly with a few 1-for-4 games that featured a single a night in late June. But the drumbeat soon picked up, a 2-for-5, a 2-for-3, a 2-for-4, a 2-for-5.

Game after game, the hits have been coming for Adrian Gonzalez. He entered the All-Star Break having hit in 18 of his last 19 contests, the only exception being an 0-for-1 night in the last game of the first half when he had to leave after one plate appearance due to illness.

But now, since his return after a slightly lengthened break (back spasms kept him out of the first two games of the second half), the first baseman has taken his performance to another level. Though Cody Ross delivered the biggest blows in the Red Sox’ 10-1 victory over the White Sox, the most significant performance of the night may well have belonged to Gonzalez.

Gonzalez went 3-for-4, putting the Sox on the board after the White Sox scored in the top of the first with a game-tying RBI single to right in the bottom of the inning, wrapping up the Sox’ scoring with a two-run single to right in the sixth and, most significantly, blasting a home run over the Monster to left-center in the bottom of the fourth.

The homer was the second in three games by Gonzalez, with both having come to left-center. The high, arcing trajectory and location of the blasts suggest that, finally, the Red Sox may have regained their middle-of-the-order slugger. He’s once again looking like the player with one of the prettiest swings in the game, a player capable of waiting on pitches, staying back and then letting his back explode through the strike zone, producing the sort of backspin that creates incredible carry to the deep reaches of the ballpark.

Gonzalez now has four straight multi-hit games to start his second half. He’s 7-for-16 with two homers, 10 RBI and just one strikeout in the span. It no longer looks like he’s searching or guessing. Instead, he looks like a ferocious presence at the plate with whom opposing pitchers must now reckon.

“He came out in that game with one at-bat, otherwise his hitting streak would be a pretty good hitting streak going,” said manager Bobby Valentine, alluding to the fact that Gonzalez has hits in 22 of 23 games, the lone exception being the contest he left due to illness. “He’s driving runs in. He’s using the whole field. He’s hitting all pitches. He’s fouling off the tough ones. He looks like the real Adrian Gonzalez -- right at the right time.”

Indeed, this stretch of four games has simply looked different. After all, in the first half, Gonzalez -- en route to hitting just six home runs -- did not have any stretches where he drove the ball consistently. He went at least eight games between each home run, a contrast to a career pattern in which he’s been capable of hitting homers in bunches.

But he’s now hit two home runs in three games, using the opposite-field stroke that created so much anticipation for his arrival in Boston.

“This is my first year with him, but he’s got the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field. When we were in Seattle and Oakland, he hit some balls really well that could have been game-winners into the gap that just died,” said Valentine. “Luckily, he didn’t get away from that swing. He looks like he’s on right now.”

It would be hard to argue the point, aside from a quibble that Gonzalez is still walking infrequently. Over his last 23 games, Gonzalez is now hitting .404 with a .423 OBP, .553 slugging mark and .976 OPS. After spending most of the year as a riddle, he’s now starting to deliver legitimate middle-of-the-order production, with the ability to produce runs in volume.

He’s enjoyed success all season with runners in scoring position. More recently, it’s been amplified, as Gonzalez is hitting .404 (the highest average in the big leagues with runners in scoring position) with a .431 OBP, .617 slugging mark and 1.048 OPS with runners in scoring position. With the top of the Red Sox lineup (with both Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford appearing resurgent in their returns) suddenly looking newly formidable, the opportunities for Gonzalez to drive in runs may be ample.

The returns of Ellsbury and Crawford, of course, present the opportunity for the reshaping of the Red Sox lineup. But in many respects, the return to form by Gonzalez would be just as significant -- if not a more significant -- development.

To varying degrees, the Sox were able to mask the losses of Ellsbury and Crawford, thanks in part to the production of Daniel Nava when he played left and batted leadoff. On the other hand, there was no masking the struggles of Gonzalez, who for much of the year represented a vulnerability in the middle of the order.

That is seemingly no longer the case. At a time when David Ortiz is on the shelf for a couple of weeks, Gonzalez has reasserted himself. The Sox have scored seven, five, five and 10 runs in their last four games, and Gonzalez is a big part of the reason why.

“He's just a fun hitter to watch when he's going good. He sprays the ball all over the place. He's got a lot of power and can hit the ball up over that monster, too,” said teammate Ross. “He's probably one of the hottest hitters in the game right now. It seems like he's got that confidence back and that swag back that I've seen for years playing against him and every time he comes up, he's got a chance to do damage.”