"Big Pun," or "Pun," for short.

It's the nickname Dustin Pedroia greets David Ortiz with virtually every day. Hits or no hits. Home runs? It doesn't matter. The Sox second baseman has always seen Ortiz in the same light, leading to the moniker ripped off from a deceased rapper known for his girth.

Friday night, just before leaving the clubhouse, Pedroia wasn't about to miss his latest opportunity to cement his latest creation into the clubhouse verbiage. (Remember, it was Pedroia who labeled Darnell McDonald 'The Microwave' earlier in the week.)

Ortiz had hit his first home run of the season in the Red Sox' 4-3 win over the Orioles (click here for a recap), and the designated hitter's diminutive teammate was going to make sure everybody knew it, along with his buddy's made-up moniker.

"The Big Punisher. Oppo bomb. You have to be a strong man to go oppo," Pedroia said. "There's only a select few who can do it."

For Ortiz, the whole scene was a welcome reminder.

For the first time since last September he offered the aura of somebody with a name the likes of "The Big Punisher." Three days after suffering through what he classified as his biggest embarrassment as a member of the Red Sox -- having gotten pinch-hit for in the seventh inning of the Sox' Tuesday night win over Texas -- Ortiz powered a 95 mph fastball from Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie over the left-center field wall.

Whatever happened in the two-plus days Ortiz took off from the Red Sox lineup, it worked. 

Yes, there was the extra batting practice, but, according to the slugger, the hiatus offered a chance for some introspection. The uneasiness of having somebody hit for him in a meaningful situation for the first time since Terry Francona took over the Sox slowly started being viewed as "a wake-up call."

“It was just embarrassing, getting pinch-hit for,” Ortiz said prior to Friday night's game. “I understand. I’m not swinging the bat good, with a lefty and whatever. I’ve got to come through and do my thing and get that out of people’s heads. When I’m swinging the bat good that’s not going to happen. Basically it was a wake-up call to say, ‘You better start hitting or you’re going to get pinch-hit for.’

“You saw my reaction. I just came back tot he dugout. Of course, I was embarrassed, but I took it like a man. It wasn’t Tito’s fault that I was pinch-hit for. It was my fault because I’m not hitting. I know it’s not going to get me any confidence, but it’s telling me to work on your (stuff) and start hitting.”

And hit he did.

Ortiz finished his night with just the one hit, adding in a walk in four plate appearances on the way to what is currently a .159 batting average. But what that lone swing did was start the process of, as the slugger said, getting Ortiz' name out of people's heads. 

Last year it wasn't until May 20 that Ortiz could start using a home run to take steps back to normalcy. The DH is intent on showing that these initial months of the season are different, and the second-inning blast -- coupled with a body that is carrying 20 less pounds -- suggests that he may be able to avoid the kind of drama that has built since Day 2 of the 2010 season.

"He's ahead of the game. I don't know what all the big fuss is. He's a month ahead of schedule from last year," said Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan.

"It wasn't at all like last year. Last year was like, 'OK, he hit a couple of deep balls that didn't' go out. Geez, when is this going to happen?' I think he was in a better place this year going into the game today as far as mechanically and me feeling better about his chances to drive the ball then probably last year, the first couple of months. He was in a pretty good frame of mind going into the game. He felt really good about his BP the last three days."

Besides the end result, what encouraged Magadan the most was how Ortiz got to that point of being able to flip the bat away and start that familiar jog around the bases. The focus on staying back and then making the pitch -- even one 95 mph and above -- work for him came together at a most opportune time.

"I've been saying that for two years," said Magadan regarding the notion that Ortiz can still catch up to above-average fastballs. "I see him take BP every day and he's still driving  balls a long way in BP. I know it's only 65 mph but you still have to generate bat speed to do that. Last year the second half of the season he showed a big glimpse of what he's capable of doing and unfortunately he got off on the wrong foot this year, but it's so early. 

"A lot has been written about starts. As a player I don't consider 16 games as a start. If you have 150 at-bats and you're struggling and you're hitting a buck-fifty, like he was last year, yeah, that's a bad start. When you can have two really, really good games in a row and turn your statistics around, to me that's not deep enough into the season."

Ortiz wasn't available to the media following the game, but his words prior to the Sox' win offered plenty of insight as to where the DH is coming from these days. He understands the challenge that lies ahead, and how important night's like Friday are these days.

“I’ve just got to regroup, go back to doing my thing and make sure I get in the lineup,” Ortiz said just before taking pre-game batting practice. “A lot of people have a lot of questions about me not hitting. It’s not a good situation to be in. I’m still working and trying to make things happen. I want to make sure everybody gets me out of their head and lets me play the game.”