ASU’s Pedroia making name for himself in Boston

It’s not a bad life former Arizona State star Dustin Pedroia leads these days. He was given a rest on Saturday, but he’s been busy of late.

After scuffling during the first month of the season, Pedroia has cemented himself as an everyday player for the Boston Red Sox, quieting the critics who wondered if he belonged on baseball’s biggest stage.

Pedroia, who plays primarily second base but can fill in at shortstop, was a late -season call-up last season and hit just .191 in 31 games. It was much the same in April, as he finished the month hitting .182. Since then, Pedroia has been the line-drive hitting batter ASU fans were accustomed to seeing in his three years as a Sun Devil.

He hit .415 in May and has hit .357 this month, pushing his average to .318. He was the American League’s rookie of the month for May.

“There always is (an adjustment period), at any level,” said Pedroia, in the Valley for this weekend’s series against the Diamondbacks. “It just takes time. No one comes up here and hits .400.”

At 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, Pedroia will never be confused with the superstars that mill around him in the Boston clubhouse.

But his job isn’t to hit mammoth home runs or throw shutouts. It’s to play good defense and get on base. Pedroia went 1-for-4 on Friday at Chase Field with a walk batting from the second spot in the order, ahead of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.

Naturally, he scored both times he got on.

“That’s just who they are,” Pedroia said. “If you get on base, they’re going to drive you in.”

Diamondbacks right fielder Carlos Quentin knows Pedroia’s capabilities. The two played for Team USA in 2003 and against each other in the Pac-10.

“He’s got great hand-eye coordination, and he hits the ball where he wants,” said Quentin, who played at Stanford. “He uses all his tools to the fullest.”

Friday was Pedroia’s first regular season appearance in Arizona as a major leaguer. The Red Sox played at Chase Field against the D-Backs in spring training in 2005.

“It’s good to come back here and see a lot of my friends,” Pedroia said. “This is where I kind of started my (baseball) life, so it’s fun getting back here.”

The Red Sox were in Oakland earlier this week, and Pedroia got to see former ASU teammate and current A’s outfielder Travis Buck. Pedroia said he likes to keep an eye on the progress of old teammates, as well as the alma mater.

ASU is playing Mississippi this weekend for a place in the College World Series.

“I’ll be following them this weekend, hoping they do well,” Pedroia said. “Those guys deserve it. I hope Coach (Pat) Murphy wins a title.”