Lowe has last word after struggle

Derek Lowe pitched like a man with enough focus to ignore the loud hum of the trade deadline rumor mill.

But after Lowe kept the Yankees contained during 6 2/3 innings of work in a 9-6 victory at Fenway Park last night, he voiced his displeasure about talk concerning his future.

"You've all got me traded so I was just trying to enjoy my last game as a Red Sox," Lowe said sarcastically. "For some reason, I'm the guy that everyone wants to trade. So I went into today's game trying to enjoy the last Red Sox-Yankees game before I go elsewhere according to you guys."

The veteran righthander scattered seven hits while allowing four runs, two earned, against a Yankee lineup that had battered him this season. Lowe entered the game with a 1-2 mark and a 9.22 ERA in three previous starts against New York. He walked three and struck out five.

"All I can do is keep pitching," said Lowe, who could leave as a free agent after the season.

After overcoming a 26-pitch inning in which he allowed the Yankees to jump ahead, 2-0, Lowe settled down until allowing two unearned runs in the seventh. The victory is Lowe's third in his last four starts.

"He was around the plate, attacked the strike zone, and I think changed speeds well enough to keep them off balance," manager Terry Franona said.

Gary Sheffield singled in Kenny Lofton, who led off the game with a double, for a 1-0 Yankees lead.

Lowe loaded the bases after hitting Jorge Posada on the leg with a pitch. Then Johnny Damon came to Lowe's rescue.

Hideki Matsui, who would smash a grand slam off Mike Timlin in the seventh, sent a shot to deep center. Damon prevented potential disaster with a leaping catch that sent him crashing into the padded wall. Instead of a bases-clearing extra-base hit, it was a sacrifice fly, with Sheffield tagging up from third base for the last run the Yankees would score until the seventh.

Manny Ramirez ended the inning by chasing down a Bernie Williams fly that was slicing down the left-field line.

"The situation looked like it could have evolved into a big inning," Lowe said. "But Johnny made a big play in center field and Manny made a big play in left field."

After escaping the bases-loaded jam almost unscathed, Lowe's teammates staked him to a 6-2 lead in the second.

Lowe responded as well. He allowed a two-out single in the second and a two out walk in the third. Both Yankee runners were stranded.

Williams led off the fourth with a single through the hole into right field. But Lowe struck out Tony Clark, then induced Enrique Wilson to ground into an inning-ending double play.

The Yankees put together a threat in the fifth that started when Sheffield banged a two-out double off the monster. Alex Rodriguez followed by chopping a slow roller down the third-base line for his second infield single of the game.

But Lowe got Posada to ground out with runners on first and third to end the inning.

An error hurt Lowe in the seventh, when second baseman Mark Bellhorn let Lofton's grounder roll through his legs.

Lowe retired Derek Jeter and Sheffield before wallking Rodriguez after getting ahead of him 0 and 2. Manager Terry Francona pulled Lowe after his pitch count hit a season-high 119.

The runs Lofton and Rodriguez scored on Matsui's slam were credited to Lowe, though unearned.

Lowe said staying away from sinkers and going to more fastballs proved to be a worthwhile adjustment. "Looking at game tape and looking at how they hit against me, they just stand there and wait for sinkers away," said Lowe, who wasn't bothered by a blister on his pitching hand. "A lot of guys just look for that one pitch, and so we didn't give it to them."

But was the performance enough to end the rumors? Though Lowe acknowledged he is aware of the trade talk, he stopped short of using it as motivation.

"I don't feel like you need to go out and consistently prove that you deserve to get the ball the next 11 or 12 times during the year," Lowe said.