Lowrie making name for himself in a hurry

The clubhouse door swung open, and Jed Lowrie was still sitting in front of his locker at the edge of the room. Last night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays had been called, and Lowrie was one of the last remaining Red Sox players to pack up and leave Fenway Park.

"Slim pickings tonight," he said to reporters. "Everybody's gone."

Right. As if Lowrie is a nobody at this point. The way he's been playing lately, the Sox rookie shortstop is in high demand on Yawkey Way.

Check the box scores, and you'll see numbers next to Lowrie's name nearly every night. Since Julio Lugo went down with a partially torn quadriceps July 12, the 24-year-old swiftly morphed from rookie to run-producer. Hitting in the back of the lineup, Lowrie is tied for the lead among major league shortstops in RBIs (22) since the All-Star break, and his ability to drive in runs has kept many Red Sox rallies alive.

"You never want to see someone get hurt. But at the same time, it opened a door for me," said Lowrie. "A lot of the last few games, I feel I've had the opportunity with guys not only on base, but in scoring position. It's been fun. Being productive and having the opportunity to be productive right away, it makes it easier."

He's had ample opportunity to produce in a Sox lineup that scored 37 runs in its last three games, and an MLB-leading 94 runs in August. Lowrie enters tonight's game having produced a double and an RBI in each of his last four games.

"That's how you earn respect in this game - you've got to produce," he said. "You can show up, and people respect you for your work ethic, but if you're producing, that's how people are really going to respect you."

He's quickly earning that respect. Lugo drove in 22 runs and hit .268 in 82 games before his injury, with a club-worst 16 errors. Lowrie, meanwhile, is hitting .310 with 29 RBIs in 42 games and has played errorless ball at short.

Lowrie said he's "not trying to take anyone's job," but it's hard to think manager Terry Francona wouldn't enjoy writing his name in the lineup card for the rest of the season. The Stanford grad and native of Salem, Ore., has done everything to warrant a regular spot.

"You bring a young kid up to play, and you basically hope that he makes the plays, and knows how to play the game, and things like that," said Francona. "All of a sudden, it seems like he's getting a big hit every time he comes up, and there seems to be men on base, and his production has been off the charts. So it's been a welcome addition. In maybe an area where you don't have a right to expect that much, it's been great."

Lowrie has been spraying drives all over the field, but particularly off the Wall in left field.

"I think that's just the type of hitter he is," said Francona. "It bodes well, especially if you're a lefthanded hitter in this ballpark, and you have the ability to use the wall, that's going to make anybody better."

Francona said there's not much Lowrie isn't hitting right now, and that his confidence is sky-high.

"They throw the ball down and in, he's turned on it and hit it down the right-field line; they've left it up, he's hit it off the Wall," said the manager. "Any time you can do that, it's going to make you feel better at the plate."

Even when he's not denting the Monster, Lowrie's been a contributing member of the lineup, making pitch counts rise.

Francona pointed to an at-bat Lowrie had in the last Oakland series against Huston Street. The A's closer finally subdued Lowrie, who flied to center, but Lowrie's doggedness made Street's night a long one.

"They called strike one on him - I thought it was up and away - then he worked the count, fouled a bunch of balls off, and eventually made an out. That was a great at-bat," said Francona.

Lowrie has adjusted to the team quickly. If he has struggled at all, he hasn't shown it.

"Don't be mistaken, it's not like I'm showing up at 6:30 and going out at 7 o'clock to play," he said. "I'm here at 1:30 in the afternoon preparing myself to play. I know how difficult this game is, and it'll humble you very quickly.

"Yeah, I'm hot right now, but it's not a matter of whether you're hot or cold, it's a matter of whether you're putting in the work every day."

Lowrie admits there have been times when he has stopped and allowed himself to reflect on being a member of the Red Sox, and playing at Fenway.

"You step in for the first time, and you think about the history of this park and all the great players who have walked through this clubhouse," he said. "The first time I walked in here, I see these guys in there and you're in awe."

But the awestruck phase ended quickly and Lowrie just started hitting. What more could the Red Sox ask for?