FORT MYERS, Fla. -- David Ortiz believes he knows the problem.

"It's all right here," he said Sunday at the Red Sox' minor-league training facility, pointing to his head. "It's more about feeling comfortable than anything else."

And he's right. It's tough enough for a left-handed hitter to have that laying back in the La-Z-Boy feeling when going up against left-handed pitching. But if you spent almost an entire season flirting with .200 vs. southpaws -- as was the case with Ortiz in '10 -- the task becomes a bed of nails.

In fact, Ortiz has been seemingly uncomfortable against lefties for the past three years. From 2005-07 he hit .296 with an OPS of .914 against left-handed pitching. Since then? The DH's average for the last three seasons has dropped to a combined .218, with the OPS plummeting to .674.

Last season Ortiz' average vs. lefties settled in at .222, with the slugger having to stomach getting subbed in for numerous times early on in the campaign. And while the designated hitter had two of his best three months against left-handers in Aug. and Sept., doubts about still abound regarding the DH's viability against left-handed pitching.

Mike Cameron (.357 against lefties in '10) is sitting there ready to jump in, along with Darnell McDonald (.294) and Jed Lowrie (.338). It would seem, because of what has transpired the last few seasons, any certainty that Ortiz will be in the lineup against any and all left-handers might be out the window.

That leads us to Ortiz' approach heading into '11. (Spoiler: There is hope for the big guy.)

"He felt like he made some good strides against lefties the last couple of months. He was aware of it. Obviously he was aware of it because at the beginning of the year he was being sat down against lefties," explained Red Sox' hitting coach Dave Magadan. 

"He's a guy who wants to play. His first eight or nine years it wasn't an issue, but now obviously it's an issue because he has struggled the last three years and we have some pretty good right-handed hitters who are on the bench. He knows he has to get better, and he's going to work to do it."

The easy path to venture down when predicting what will happen to Ortiz when it comes to facing left-handers in the upcoming season is guessing that the plate appearances will dwindle, along with his value heading into free agency following '11.

But listen to Magadan and you might uncover some clues when it comes to finding optimism regarding Ortiz' return to form vs. southpaws.

First …

"I think part of it is mental," Magadan said. "I think he has to get a better approach against them. My first year here, he did a lot of damage against lefties, especially lefties coming into the game. Last year he did OK against starters, but it was the lefty specialist coming in in crucial situations that he struggles with."

The Sox' hitting coach knows of what he speaks. 

In the first four innings against left-handers in '11, Ortiz hit .324. From Innings 5-8, his average dipped to .143, including a .045 clip in the seventh, a frame usually reserved for when managers start matching up their relievers. Look at the the pitchers Ortiz faced in the seventh last season -- Randy Choate, Joe Beimel, Craig Breslow, Rafael Perez, George Sherrill, Jeremy Affeldt -- and you start getting the idea. 

And when it became less of a specialty game, when the closer was brought on for the ninth, the Sox' DH leveled off with a .308 average in the frame.

What could benefit Ortiz this time around is the fact the Red Sox' lineup will be flush with opportunities for lefty specialists to make an appearance. Such a strategy could be used on the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and J.D. Drew, instead of targeting just Ortiz.

"Against lefty starters, he has three or four starts to do something against him," Magadan said. "Lefty relievers you only have the one chance."

Still, despite the possible alteration to how teams prioritize Ortiz, the most important thing for the slugger to improve on is finding a way to consistently hit any and all lefties when he gets the chance.

"I'm going to put it in play," he said, "I'll let you know when I see the result."

And Ortiz, his coaches and employers all realize by now that the lefty hitter's success will largely depend on where he is putting it in play.

"In '07 when he was really good [.308 vs. lefties], he was driving ball the other way and using that part of the field," Magadan said. "To me, he made way too many outs against lefties to the pull side. When he's good against lefties he's using that part of the field.

It doesn't take more than a single glance at Ortiz' spray chart to understand where Magadan's analysis is coming from. In the DH's worst month against left-handers, April, he finished at .167, hitting just one ball to the left side. The next month proved to be his best vs. lefties (.294), with Ortiz making just two outs to the right side.

There are other factors that could weigh into the equation, such as teams altering their shift against Ortiz due to fear of the Sox' newly-revamped running game.

"It will be interesting to see," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "If they do, that catcher or pitcher had better get over to third. I know it’s something we’ve had to worry about in the past. You can’t defense everything. You’ve got to pick your poison. That’s why we’re glad [Crawford] is on our team."

But there is a bottom line, and Ortiz knows it. The Red Sox have options against left-handers, and now it's just a matter of the DH proving he isn't the one they need to use them for.

"He's done a really good job of hitting the ball the other way [in spring training]," Magadan said, "but when the bell rings, and the games start it's about taking that approach in taking it into the game. That's what he has to do."