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'It's hard to sleep. This is hard,' Big Papi says

Red Sox's Ortiz is batting .197 with two home runs and 22 RBI this season

Image: David OrtizAP
David Ortiz has been dropped from the third to the sixth spot in the lineup, but has hit better recently. He has a six-game hitting streak with seven hits in 25 at-bats, raising his average from .185.

Slumping slugger David Ortiz's problems haven't been isolated to the baseball diamond.

The Boston Red Sox designated hitter told USA Today that his problems have been affecting him in bed, where he's been getting very little sleep.

"My body is resting every night, but my mind is spinning with all of this (stuff)," he told the paper. "It's hard to sleep. This is hard. I've never been through something like this. But when you get older, and have a bad year, you never know what can happen. A lot of times, they don't let you come back."

Ortiz is batting .197 with two home runs and 22 RBI this season, putting him on pace to finish significantly below the 39 home runs and 122 RBI he's averaged during his six years with the Red Sox.

But Ortiz has recently shown signs of busting out of his slump. He's recorded a hit in each of the past six games, including a home run Friday against Texas.

Ortiz insists he'll soon be completely back on track.

"I've never struggled like this. But what am I going to do?" he said. "The one thing I know how to do is hit. What I do know is that I'm not done. Trust me. I am not finished."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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