Sandoval still searching for right-side swing

SEATTLE -- As much as Pablo Sandoval has struggled from the right side of the plate this season, he says he is not frustrated. Instead, he searches for solutions. And he hasn't even given a thought to ending his days as a switch-hitter.

"Nope. I don't' think about that. I feel good," said Sandoval. "Why am I going to be frustrated? It's part of your job, being able to hit both ways. You have to be proud and keep fighting. Keep working."

The Red Sox faced lefty Roenis Elias on Thursday, and Sandoval -- who is 2-for-34 against southpaws this season -- got the night off.

"If we're going to give him a day off, it's going to be against a left-hander," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "It's not predicated solely on the right-handed performance. He's going to be back in the lineup again tomorrow and likely again on Sunday, so we're not running from the fact that there's a left-hander on the mound."

In the offseason, knowing that he'd be playing 81 games with the inviting Green Monster in left field, Sandoval worked tirelessly on his swing from the right side. He feels that it carried over into Spring Training.

But once the regular season started, and the Red Sox started seeing lefties on a sporadic basis, Sandoval thought he'd lost the timing he had developed.

"I keep on working hard, and trying to get my timing down. That's the hard thing. You don't see so many left-handers," Sandoval said.

Sandoval chuckled when asked if he could identify a specific problem.

"I don't know why," said Sandoval. "If I knew why, I'd fix it."