There was no standing up in the middle of the clubhouse, lecturing the team as to the ways of being a Boston Red Sox. 

Nobody enacted the Cedric Maxwell strategy of telling any and all who would listen that they should jump on his back and be carried to the Promised Land.

No, few know what to expect when it comes to this depleted group of Red Sox, including the one player who has seen it all during his eight seasons in the Fenway Park home clubhouse -- David Ortiz.

"I'm not saying we're going to be OK because you're talking about two players [Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez] who are everyday players and two guys who are going to be hard to replace," the Red Sox designated hitter said prior to his team's 8-5 win over Tampa Bay Tuesday night.

"Hopefully we're fine without them, but you know replacing Pedey is going to be a bitch. I'm not going to lie to you about that. Replacing Victor, that's not an easy thing to do. No question about it. Are we going to be fine? I don't know. Hopefully. Hopefully. You're talking about two of our best hitters. You've got the top of the lineup … out!"

Ortiz continued, morphing into adviser for those who might be entertaining the idea of going it alone.

"It's going to be a challenge," he said. "There are going to be guys replacing them who need to step up and not try to do too much and the rest of it will be taken care of.

"I always believe in what I can do. But the good thing about this ball club is that you have a different character every night. When the teams notice there's just one guy doing it all they try staying away from you and then you try to do more than you're capable of and things can go both ways. I'm not the kind of guy who puts that kind of pressure on myself. I just do what I can."

And what he did in the Red Sox' series opener against the Rays was about as an important a salvo as anybody could have mustered. 

Without uttering a single fiery speech, Ortiz delivered the most pointed message possible. 

With two outs, the game tied, and runners on second and third in a scoreless tie in the fifth inning, the DH came to the plate against Tampa Bay starter James Shields. The storyline led observers to focus in on whether or not the hurler should be pitching to Ortiz considering the Sox slugger entered the game hitting .393 (11 for 28) against Shields, whereas the hitter in the on-deck circle, Kevin Youkilis, had just three hits in 28 at-bats (.107).

Shields told his manager, Joe Maddon, that he wanted to pitch to Ortiz, hinting that there wouldn't be a ball thrown over the plate. Well, there was -- the first one -- and Ortiz sent the Sox down the proper path via a three-run homer.

"David was ready for a fastball and he got it," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "It changed the game."

But while the strategy did offer intrigue and analysis, it was the execution that should have taken priority. As he said prior to the game, Ortiz didn't set out to carry the load, but it just so happens that he did in the form of a message-sender that helped dispel some of the doubts even the DH carried.

"Should I be negative? I believe we can do it, that's the way we've got to see it," he said following the win. "We've got no other choice. Are you hiding somebody back there?

"We've got to stay focused and keep on playing until they get back. You've got three masterpieces going down (including Jacoby Ellsbury). What can you do? Injuries are part of the game. You've got to take the time and wait for them to get back and remember when they get back things aren't going to click right away. It's going to take some time. Meanwhile we've got to keep on playing and try our best until they get back."

In the end, Ortiz was right about the importance of dispersing production. Adrian Beltre had four hits in four at-bats, Bill Hall hit what turned out to be a key two-run homer in the seventh inning, and a total of six Red Sox batters claimed at least one hit each.

The Sox managed eight RBI with runners in scoring position, saw more than four pitches per plate appearance and pounded out five extra-base hits.

There have been hitters in this lineup who have carried their team through entire months (J.D. Drew's June 2008, for instance, or Ortiz' numerous surges), but the designated hitter is correct -- without the services of Pedroia, Martinez, and Ellsbury, one bat isn't going to do it for the entirety of the players' absences.

But, in this case, a home run to help diminish any doubts certainly went a long way.

"I never thought about it. Even when Manny was here and he got hurt because when you think about that and try to do more than you normally do it goes against you," said Ortiz of the importance of carrying the team. 

"Of course a lot of times I'm going have to step up and do my thing. [If] it's not me, it's [Kevin Youkilis]. If it's not Youk it's Beltre. If it's not Beltre it's somebody else. It's not like it used to be. If you watch the game right now you don't see team focusing on just not letting David Ortiz hurt you."

Bad idea. Lesson(s) learned.