FORT MYERS, Fla. — David Ortiz went 0-for-2 Saturday against Boston College. Sound the alarm.

OK, an exaggeration. But the afternoon offered the Red Sox designated hitter his first reminder of a stretch that still befuddles him.

No, it's not so much the criticism that came with hitting .143 with a single home run in the month of April. And the moment in question also dwarfs the doubts that surfaced after he went hitless in the first two games of the 2010 season. What still weighs heavy on Ortiz' mind is the day he realized a rough ride might be ahead.

March 16, 2010.

The Red Sox' DH had begun spring training just 1-for-19, leading to the question: "Are you worried about the slow start?"

"I've never seen my spring training numbers on the back of a baseball card," he fired back. "I've got nothing to prove. The season is the season. On April 2, who [cares] what you did in spring training? How many guys have you seen struggle in [spring training] and then, boom, crush the season?"

The line of questioning still baffles Ortiz.

"I've been coming to spring training for 15 years and nobody had mentioned my numbers," he said following his team's 6-0 win over Boston College at City of Palms Park on Saturday afternoon. "That was the first time ever. But I understand. People want to see you do good things. 

"It got to the point where not too many people in baseball would be able to say, 'Earmuffs! Let's just focus on baseball and move on.' Not many people could have played under that pressure."

This time, Ortiz is going in with his eyes wide open. He talks a lot about turning his back on any sort of similar criticism this time, and how he has a better understanding of the who, what and when.

But don't think for a minute he hasn't filed away the slings and arrows that came with both his slow spring training start and subsequent April debacle. As he explains it, all of it will be what fuels an opening month that leaves no room for interpretation. 

"I'm looking forward to killing it in April so people can forget about that stuff. I'm dead serious," Ortiz said. "I think last year was like that in April because I was trying super hard to shut people up, and it didn't work. So now I'm just going to play in April like normal."

His "normal" was pretty good starting on May 1. From that date until the end of the regular season, Ortiz totaled a .939 OPS, 11th-best in the majors and better than the likes of Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Howard, Alex Rodriguez, Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Zimmerman, Evan Longoria and Robinson Cano.

Still, it has been three straight seasons in which Ortiz has had to deal with some sort of questions concerning his April performance. In '08 he hit five homers, but with only a .184 batting average. Then in '09 the average went up to .230, but without a single homer. And then came the worse of the lot, last season.

Yet despite those early season bumps in the road, Ortiz managed to right himself to some degree each year, punctuated by the American League Player of the Month trophy he strategically placed on top of his Fenway Park locker after winning the award for his May dominance. 

They are the memories that feed his optimism going forward.

"Trust me, if you ever see me hitting in April, my numbers are going to be sick," he said, smiling broadly.

He is also hoping the history will finally make the naysayers hesitate if some sort of setback crops up. It's something Ortiz isn't counting on, but sheepishly eyeing, nonetheless.

"I think the past few years people have learned something from that … hopefully," Ortiz said, almost reluctantly.

"Out of the last 10 months of baseball I have played I have had one bad one and nine good ones, but people just remember the bad one. I guess that's part of baseball and I just need to turn the page. If that particular situation starts again, I'm just going to have to turn my back to it. I'm not going to pay attention to it.

"I started the season at the level nobody in baseball was at. What reason, I don't know. But at the end of the season, even the guys who were on fire at the beginning of the season didn't end up where I was. I wanted to say so many things after the season to the people who came out against me, but I just turned the page. … I just want people to leave me alone."

It remains to be seen if Ortiz can rediscover the kind of out-of-the-gate groove he found when hitting .297 with seven homers in April 2007. But, regardless of the struggles and criticisms, the DH insists he won't be taking any sort of new approach toward his preparation. ("The reason why I have to keep my approach is because that is what has kept me in the big leagues. It's too late to take a different approach," he said.)

As far as Ortiz is concerned, he is heading into the spring training schedule with a better grasp on the situation than ever before. He even has a credo.

"Just leave the guy alone," Ortiz said, "because you see what happens when he catches on fire."