Drew back in rhythm after struggling coming off DL

BOSTON -- After a stint on the disabled list, Stephen Drew finally seems to have found his swing.

The Red Sox shortstop has five hits over his last three games and entered Saturday batting .360 since July 27.

Normally these numbers wouldn't be enough to turn any heads, but Drew struggled mightily right after he came off the DL on July 20, collecting just one hit in his first 15 at-bats.

The turnaround isn't much of a surprise to those who know Drew. As Red Sox manager John Farrell explained, Drew relies on timing and rhythm more than most to be successful at the plate. An extended layoff can throw that timing out of whack, but with more consistent at-bats, Drew's production has picked up.

"He looks much more confident at the plate," Farrell said. "There's more authority to his swing. And as we've seen a couple of times that he's missed some time on the DL, as he gets those at-bats, he's so much a timing hitter and a rhythm hitter. Yeah, he's seeing the ball pretty good right now."

Drew clubbed a two-run home run against his former team, the D-backs, on Friday night. It was his third homer in the last seven games after hitting just five up to that point.

"I feel good," Drew said. "The balls are falling where I'm hitting them. Before, I was hitting lineouts. So it's a good feeling when you're hitting the ball and things are going your way."