"I don't want to hit for 'Tek," Francona said. "I think people would like to see me do that. I don't feel like it's the right thing to do. If I did, I would do it. In the long term, it will pay off having patience. I don't know if we can get to where we want to go by doing things like that. It's not that I don't see batting averages and things like that. It may be wrong, but it's how I feel."

Varitek provided an answer to Francona's optimism on Monday, belting a key two-run homer in Boston's 4-0 victory over the Mariners.

"We need him," Francona said. "I believe in him and I will always believe in him. And sometimes when things are going tough, you don't vary from that. It's an easy thing to do. I don't necessarily think it's right. The faith in him will bear itself out. I've seen him too many times swing [badly] at two pitches, then the ball goes 400 feet. We've seen it and we'll see it again."

After two hits on Monday, Varitek his hitting .218 with eight homers and 30 RBIs. The home run was his first since June 11.

Perhaps there will be some carryover.

"'Tek, he prides himself so much in catching us and calling good games that the hitting is almost secondary and the team knows that," said Red Sox lefty Jon Lester. "Whatever he can give us at the plate is just gravy."

The Red Sox send Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mound on Tuesday in hopes of reducing their 1 1/2-game deficit to Tampa Bay in the American League East.