He's back!

Mark Ellis returned to the Oakland A's lineup with a bang Friday night. His three run home run in the fourth inning was his fourth of the year and helped lift the A's over the Boston Red Sox's 8 to 3. After missing nine games due to a hamstring injury, Ellis was happy to be back in the lineup. "To have to just sit there and watch is just such a helpless feeling," he said. "To be honest, you feel a little bit guilty, because you know how hard everyone's going, and you're just there doing nothing. It's awful." Ellis was 1 for 4 with 3 rbi's and a run scored. Oakland's head coach Bob Geren talked about Ellis after the game, "He's kind of our quiet leader on the field. He knows where to be and what to do at all times." Bobby Crosby was equally excited to get his double play partner back, "Just looking over at him makes you feel like you have a better chance to win that night," he said. "He could go 0-for-4 and make an error, and he's still probably going to do something to help you win the game."
Ellis also commented on Boston's Tim Wakefield, "With [Wakefield], it's always hit and miss. It's never easy, that's for sure. I actually thought he had a really good knuckleball tonight. ... It might not look like it because of the home runs, but he really did have a good one tonight."
Rich Harden pitched a gem for the A's allowing only four hits and two runs in six innings of work. He is now 3 and 0 on the season. In the fifth, Harden took a ground ball from Dustin Pedroia's off his leg, but Ellis scooped it up and hook shot the ball to Crosby at second for the out. Harden's take on the play by Ellis "It was great. There's not a lot of guys who make that play." Ellis put his usual easy going slant on the topic, "It was the only way I could get the ball there," Ellis said with a big smile. "When I went off the field, I was laughing. I don't think I've ever made that throw before. It was like lobbing a grenade."
Late in the game Boston was attempting to rally when Jacoby Ellsbury attempted to steal second base. The throw form A's cather Kurt Suzuki was late, but Ellis used his great fundamentals and kept the tag on Ellsbury. Sure enough Ellsbury's momentum carried him off the bag and Ellis was awarded the out. "He's the best second baseman in the league, in my opinion," A's Coach Geren said. "He's a very important part of our defense. ... Mark's one of the smartest players I've ever been around."
I whole heartedly agree. Ellis makes everyone better.