PITTSBURGH -- David Ortiz had every right to be somewhat perplexed. When the rain chooses to make its most powerful appearance during a single at-bat -- as was the case when the Sox slugger stepped up to pinch-hit in the eighth inning Friday night -- eyebrow-raising is perfectly acceptable.

"First of all, what's wrong with Mother Nature?" Ortiz said following the Red Sox' 3-1 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park. "I just walk to the plate and it started pouring. What's up with that?"

The uptick in raindrops certainly didn't make Ortiz' pinch-hitting adventure against Pittsburgh reliever Jose Veras any easier. The Sox designated hitter ultimately jumped on a two-seam fasatball from the former Yankees hurler, rifling it up the middle only to watch shortstop Ronny Cedeno gobble it up and throw to first baseman Lyle Overbay to end the Sox' threat.

The grounder stranded J.D. Drew and Darnell McDonald at second and third, respectively, while lowering Ortiz' career pinch-hitting numbers to .192 (15-for-72).

And as Ortiz pointed out, the rain did stop. But, despite the postgame quips, that shouldn't be the slugger's concern. Nor should Veras' one at-bat victory be the focus.

What the moment should be remembered for as the Sox face eight more interleague road games is the kind of challenge that faces Ortiz. More times than not, his usual four or five at-bats a game are going to turn into the kind of drama-filled plate appearance Mother Nature punctuated in the series opener.

Ortiz has been on a season-long run, one which is now being interrupted with designated hitter-less road bumps. With his groundout Friday night, the game's best DH has now gone three straight games without reaching base at least once for the first time this season. It is hardly a dip into the dark days of the last few seasons' struggles, but it does hint at the potential problem.

The Red Sox and Ortiz really don't want to mess with a good thing, but unfortunately for both parties, baseball rules are doing just that.

"It [stinks]," said Ortiz of the lack of a DH for the next eight games. "I'll have to call [Major League Baseball commissioner] Bud Selig."

But for now this is the life he will have to live.

The dream many Red Sox fans had of watching Ortiz ride out the interleague conundrum at first base while Adrian Gonzalez shifted to right field doesn't seem like a realistic scenario for more than perhaps a game or two. (At least that was the vibe given out by Red Sox manager Terry Francona prior to the Sox' loss.)

"I don’t know. I really don’t know," said Francona when asked about the possible realignment. "I’m not happy about David sitting for nine straight games and I’m also not happy about putting Gonzy in right field. Neither choice is very appealing."

Some fans were quick to jump on the manager's choice not to prioritize offense in the Sox' first meeting of the season with the Pirates, especially after the new No. 5 hitter, Darnell McDonald, stranded six runners in his first three at-bats. And the image of right fielder Mike Cameron misplaying a Mike McKenry sinking liner in the third inning, resulting in a double, offered some more misguided ammunition for those yearning for Gonzalez' return to right field after an eight-year hiatus.

But this wasn't about Francona's decisions. He did, after all, play it perfectly in terms of sending up pinch-hitters Josh Reddick and J.D. Drew (both of whom notched hits) before setting Ortiz up for the game's biggest moments. This was simply the interleague slap-in-the-face that the Red Sox and Ortiz have managed to maneuver around in previous seasons.

This has all the makings of a nine-game slump-maker. Now it's up to Ortiz to find a way to identify his antidote.

"You want to be in the game, but they don't have a DH here so you have to do whatever," Ortiz said. "I was ready for whenever Tito called me, he did, I went out there and the result wasn't the one that you want but the fight was there."

Ortiz explained that the act of pinch-hitting is far from foreign, having to individually prepare for each at-bat without picking up a glove. The potential problem stems from exactly when the slugger will be forced to make his mark. 

For many of these games, Ortiz will no longer have the luxury of seeing a pitcher two or three times. Instead, opposing teams will be picking and choosing whom they want going against the lefty hitter. And, as the numbers pointed out last season, it has been the specialists who often offer the biggest problems.

In 2010 against left-handers, for instance, Ortiz hit .324 in the first four innings, with his average dropping to .143 in frames 5-8. And in the seventh inning, when lefty specialists typically make many of their appearances, he managed just an .045 clip.

In all, Ortiz hit .300 in innings 1-6 in '10, but just .199 after that. This season the numbers are more palatable, with a .330 clip prior to the seventh, and .278 after that.

"That changes the whole game," said Ortiz of facing the specialists. "But that's what it's all about today. I'll just have to adjust."

But this will be a major part of the challenge, one which Ortiz -- and the Red Sox -- are bracing themselves for. That was evidenced Friday night.

"Probably. What do you think?," said Ortiz when asked if this would be a big-time hurdle for the Sox' lineup to overcome. "I'm part of the lineup every day, so you have to deal."