Through all of the chaos experienced in the Bronx over the previous four days, there was one fail-safe for David Ortiz.

“I always feel good about this team,” he said while packing up to head home late Monday night.

After the Red Sox’ 6-5 win over the Tigers, he now has company. The Boston baseball-playing universe had straightened itself out.

Seemingly one hit at a time, the Sox began to re-infuse optimism back into their followers. Not since they left Baltimore had they had as many hits (12) or home runs (3).

But perhaps most notable was the approach the Red Sox hitters took in arriving at such an offensive output. Against the three Detroit pitchers – Edwin Jackson, Fu-Te Ni, and Zach Miner – the Sox averaged 4.68 pitches per at-bat, a number not approached throughout their recent six-game losing streak.

How did they do it? Why did they do it? Why didn’t they do it before? Ortiz has one explanation – it’s the natural evolution of things.

The doldrums come, a homestand arrives, and the doldrums go. The swallows return to Capistrano and the Red Sox’ bats reappear on the outskirts of Yawkey Way.

People forget it will happen, but it usually does.

“This is baseball. We have to go through this every year,” the Sox’ DH said. “I don’t know why people are surprised. Every year we have to go through this. Why? I don’t have no explanation. Then I start thinking it's just part of the game.”

“Oh boy, let me tell you, we needed that,” said Ortiz of the predicted upswing in production. “It’s kind of contagious here.”

It is hard to argue with Ortiz on all counts.

Statistically, the proof isn’t hard to find. In 53 home games the Red Sox have scored 302 runs, compared to the 266 plated in 58 road games. And their average at Fenway sits at 21 points higher (.277) than it does away from their own field (.256).

But Monday night offered more than just numbers, it gave all onlookers a different feel when it came to analyzing the offense. Ortiz was a perfect example.

The DH snapped out of an 0-for-23 stretch with runners on base with his second-inning, RBI single, ending what had been the longest stretch of his career without getting a hit with runners on base. Ortiz also had been 0 for 15 with runners in scoring position.

And, whether because of the familiar surroundings or the mental clarity gained since Saturday’s press conference, even the other at-bats yielded some of the best swings seen from Ortiz in weeks. Just like the negativity that followed the Sox home early Monday morning on their bumpiest plane ride of the season (both figuratively and literally), whatever insecurities Ortiz had from going 4-for-32 on his recent road trip had dissipated.

At least for one night, life was back to normal for Ortiz and the Red Sox.

Here are four more things we learned Monday night:

SECURITY FITS GREEN JUST FINE

Nick Green had just totaled a single-season career high with his sixth home run of the year – a second-inning, solo homer off of Jackson. As he talked just before exiting for the night, Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills swooped on by.

“You're at shortstop tomorrow,” Mills said almost without breaking stride.

Green gave a quick acknowledgement but for the most part continued what he was doing. Unlike in those days of Julio Lugo’s presence, and then Jed Lowrie’s return, deciphering which shortstop is going to be in the starting lineup isn’t exactly going to put a feather in any investigative reporter’s cap.

Once again, Green finds himself as the indisputable starter, a title he has seemingly taken to of late.

“I’m back to that feeling where I was before, where I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in the lineup,” he said. “I know it shouldn’t affect me but I’m sure it does. I don’t know how it does.

“It was tough, especially knowing that (Lowrie) was the guy they wanted to have the job and play shortstop. It makes a difference. It shouldn’t, but subconsciously it does.”

With Lowrie in Arizona getting the nerves in his left forearm examined by Dr. Donald Sheridan, and newly acquired back-up Chris Woodward under no illusions that he will be sliding into the starting role, Green figures to have his security for some time (barring another transaction by the Red Sox).

The Red Sox are certainly hoping the confluence of peace of mind and production keeps paying off, because when Green is hitting the team has a different look. Before notching two hits Sunday night, and then the long ball Monday, there was a direct correlation between the struggles of the shortstop and the rest of the Sox’ lineup.

Green has hit just .135 since the All-Star break (5-for-37), a stretch in which his team has the fourth-worst batting average in the American League. (Coincidence?) He is, however, hoping that recent work with hitting coach Dave Magadan, who offered a reminder that he might have been tinkering a bit too much during his recent struggles, will pay off.

“I feel like if I’m contributing everything is rolling better,” Green explained. “If we’re struggling, the bottom of the lineup is usually ending up just dying down there.”

Monday night, the Red Sox 7-8-9 hitters (Jason Bay, Casey Kotchman, Green) combined to go 4-for-9 with two runs, two HRs, and three RBI. Good enough. Which leads us to…

BAY MIGHT BE COMING BACK

The home run might have been somewhat of a gift – a solo shot in the fifth that just crept over the left field wall and gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead in the fifth. But baseball justice was served later in the game when Bay’s next at-bat provided a 419-foot out to center field.

Regardless, it was Bay hitting the ball, and hitting it deep. They are two things that might fall under the make-or-break category when prioritizing keys for the Sox’ success.

“It’s been a constant battle the last couple of months,” said Bay, who followed a .230, four-home run June with a July that saw him hit just .192 with a single homer. He is currently claiming a .308 average in August after his second homer of the month.

“I hit the second ball 10 times better than the first. Stupid hitting. I hit it to the wrong part of the park. I’m hesitant to say everything is back to normal, but I felt as good as I have in a while. Hopefully it continues.”

For a somewhat obscure look at how much the Red Sox rely on Bay to get their offense going, understand that coming into Monday night 13 of the outfielder’s previous 15 homers have come with the Sox sitting at zero or one run.

PENNY SLIDING INTO A NEW ERA

After Brad Penny’s previous start, a loss in St. Petersburg, to the Rays, Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon sat back in his office chair and reflected on the surprise presented by the Red Sox’ starter.

“Some of our guys were coming back to the dugout saying how they had never seen Penny throw a slider, but he was,” Maddon said. “It was pretty effective. But I kind of like when guys try and come up with something new to face us.”

If Monday taught us anything, it was that Penny’s new pitch was hardly only for the Rays.

After throwing approximately 20 of the pitches (which seems like a cutter but turns into a slider because of the size of the right-hander’s pitching hand) against the Rays, Penny came right back and used the pitch he had never thrown with much success once again. Despite feeling somewhat under the weather (although he blamed his in-game vomiting on acid reflux), Penny finished with a quality start, allowing three runs on six hits over six innings while throwing 93 pitches.

But it was his last pitch that was perhaps most encouraging, a slider at which he got Brandon Inge to swing and miss for strike three.

The first adjustment was moving from the first-base side to the third-base side of the pitching rubber. Now it’s the new pitch. All is paving the way for Penny to reach his ultimate goal of finding ways to get deeper into games.

“The last one I threw to Inge was really good,” Penny said. “It was big for me tonight. I threw a couple of sliders on the first or second pitch and got some ground ball outs, and that was instead of getting foul balls with fastballs.”

PAPELBON KNOWS WHAT TIME IT IS

Jonathan Papelbon needed just 11 pitches to get through four outs. It was his first four-out save since May 4. No big deal. It’s August, so the eighth inning is no longer off limits.

This time the need for Papelbon’s presence came when the Tigers put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on second and third and two outs in the eighth. One pop-up by Curtis Granderson – and subsequent fist-pump from catcher Victor Martinez – later and the closer was on his way to the 25th multi-inning save of his career.

It’s that time of year – when Papelbon pitches more than one inning, while also giving his trademark boxing analogy.

“This division, with us and the Yankees, it’s like a heavyweight title fight,” said Papelbon, who has three multi-inning saves this season after totaling 11 last year. “We lost a few rounds. We’ve still got a few rounds to go. But nobody’s thrown the knockout punch yet.”