He's a production assistant

David Ortiz, who drove in a run with an opposite-field double that fell just inside the left-field foul line in the fifth, still leads the Red Sox in RBIs with 31. He came into yesterday's game ranked third in the American League in that category.

But just behind him is teammate Mike Lowell, who drove in two more runs with a sacrifice fly and single and now has 30. Lowell drove in 20 runs in 23 games in April and in his first 11 games in May has 10. Nine of those have come in the last five games, as Lowell hit home runs in three straight games in Toronto earlier in the week.

Lowell leads the club in batting with runners in scoring position with a .400 average (12 for 30). In 2006, his first season in Boston, Lowell had 80 RBIs. He has had two seasons of 100 or more RBIs, both with the Marlins, but the last was 2003, when he had 105.

"Everybody is swinging the bat good, from top to bottom," said Alex Cora, "but the key is right there."

Cora nodded at Lowell. "He's very important for us. We know they're going to pitch around some guys at the top of the lineup, and what he's doing right now is balancing everything out. The guy in front of him [J.D. Drew] is getting better pitches because they know he's among the leaders in RBIs."

Mike Timlin was examined by team medical director Thomas Gill, manager Terry Francona said, and showed no improvement in his right shoulder, which continues to have inflammation.

That means more enforced idleness for the 41-year-old reliever, who has been on the disabled list twice already this season, the first time with a strained oblique.

"The symptoms are still there," Francona said, "and that's what we're treating, the symptoms. He's frustrated and willing to throw through it, which he's always been, but we're not going to let him do it."

For the second straight game, Julio Lugo was picked off first base. He led off the first inning with a single, and was picked off by Orioles starter Steve Trachsel.

"Never," he said, when asked if he'd ever been picked off in consecutive games.

"I was mad it happened, but he got away with a balk move. He balked. He kind of went forward then kind of came back."

Trachsel was called for a balk for just that reason in the fifth, after Dustin Pedroia reached on an error by first baseman Aubrey Huff. "But he got away with the first one," Lugo said.

Lugo had a double, three singles, and stole a base yesterday, his 11th steal of the season. He is batting .440 (11 for 25) in his last five games, emerging from a 4-for-32 funk (.125), and is up to .261.

"It's coming," he said of his offense. "It's going to be there at the end of the year, it's going to be right where I want it to be. You do your best, and at the end of the year you say you had a good season or had a bad season. It's too early."

Clay Buchholz's eight consecutive strikeouts Friday night in Portland broke a Sea Dogs record of six, shared by Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Jon Lester (twice), and Kason Gabbard. Beckett and Burnett did it when the Sea Dogs were a Marlins affiliate.

More significantly for Buchholz, the pitchers he surpassed all have made it to the big leagues. Beckett did it in his Double A debut. John W. Henry, who then owned the Marlins, flew up for the occasion. Beckett struck out the first two batters, hit the next one, then fanned the next six.

Buchholz, who finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings but had no decision in a game Portland ultimately lost, 8-5, to Binghamton, has been as dominant pitching for Portland as Jacoby Ellsbury was hitting, and Ellsbury was promoted to Pawtucket nine days ago.

Will Buchholz soon follow? The Sox aren't saying, but Buchholz has struck out 46 while walking just 4 in 34 innings, spectacular numbers.

In his six starts, his earned run average is 1.85, and move the decimal point one place to the left, and you have opponents' batting average (.185) against the 22-year-old righthander from Nederland, Texas.

Buchholz, who was a first-round sandwich pick in the 2005 draft, threw 96 pitches Friday night, 62 for strikes.

Reliever Javy Lopez was credited with the win after making his second appearance in two nights since being recalled from Triple A Pawtucket. Lopez had options when spring training ended and was sent down; with Timlin on the DL and the Sox deciding they'd rather see Devern Hansack starting in Pawtucket rather than be 12th man here, the call went to Lopez, even though the Sox already have lefties Hideki Okajima and J.C. Romero. "I don't think about that when I'm down there," Lopez said when asked if he considered it a long shot the Sox would want a third lefty. "Last year, look at them, [the Sox] were playing so great and injuries hit. You always have to try to be ready. Myself, the other guys down there, you never know when the phone is going to ring. Everybody is ready to go at any point in time. It's what I signed up to do. It's one of those things, knowing the situation, I had an option, Timlin was hurt, I knew something was going to happen. I wasn't caught off guard. Now, I'm just moving on."

Manny Ramírez extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a two-run double in the fifth and is batting .386 (17 for 44) in that span, with 3 doubles, 4 homers, 12 RBIs, 9 runs, and 6 walks . . . The Sox are inviting mothers accompanied by their children to run the bases after today's game . . . This was the first time in eight games since May 3 that a Sox starter has not been involved in the decision, and Curt Schilling's third no-decision in eight starts . . . The Sox had not used more than four pitchers in a game since April 19.