Lowell comes off DL swinging
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ARLINGTON, Texas - Mike Lowell feels the same thing each year when he arrives at spring training, which is an odd sensation for a 34-year-old third baseman working on his 11th major league season. He feels, he said, curious.
"I think that's a good feeling," Lowell said. "I don't view that as a negative."
Lowell experienced a similar feeling walking into Rangers Ballpark in Arlington yesterday, knowing he would step into a batter's box for the first time since a right oblique injury forced him out of the lineup Aug. 12. At a time of the season reserved for redundancy, Lowell faced a meaningful task: convincing himself the injury had not sapped his ability.
Lowell awed his teammates and assured himself during last night's 8-1 Red Sox victory with one swing, a solo home run in his first at-bat off the disabled list. He only further cemented his triumphant return as the game wore on, belting two more hits - a double and a single - scoring two runs, and driving in four.
"That was impressive," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "You'd have to ask him how he did it, because I don't know."
Lowell watched video during his time away as if he were in the lineup and injected positive thoughts into his mind, trying to preoccupy himself while admittedly "bored." He started swinging a bat again one week ago and, given that Lowell has somewhere around 5,500 career plate appearances, it felt normal enough. But he also knew a return to game speed after missing more than three weeks would be an unusual challenge.
"I think you're curious," Lowell said. "I didn't think I was going to go up there and be totally lost. But, you know, there's a certain amount of uncertainty."
As he would all night, Lowell saw the first two pitches out of Rangers starter Kevin Millwood's hand clear as day - two balls that he waited on. He had put himself in a 2-and-0 count, and patience became an easy option.
"Why am I going to look at a pitch I want to hit?" Lowell thought to himself. "If it looks good, trust it."
Millwood hurled the fastball Lowell was looking for, and Lowell pummeled it. The ball landed 366 feet away, over the left-field fence, and he circled the bases for the Red Sox' first run.
"I wish I could come back after not having [an at-bat] for a while and hit a home run," catcher Jason Varitek said. "He's such a big part of our lineup. That's big for Mikey, to step right in and see the ball well."
Lowell acknowledged as much. Before the game, he said he vowed not to do too much, that trying to make up for lost time would yield only negative results. "I think I'll only be trying to chase numbers that are unattainable," he said. The approach, he believed, allowed him to mash the second-inning home run, his 15th of the season.
"I think today definitely gives you a boost," Lowell said. "If I had gotten jammed five times, I think I would have been feeling a little different. I feel a lot better."
Afterward, Lowell chatted with Francona. The manager told his third baseman that Pawtucket sure could have used that home run in a playoff loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Maybe he should have endured a minor league rehab stint.
"I told him to take the rehab and shove it," Lowell said later, chuckling at his locker.
He could afford to laugh, his confidence buoyed and his ability, clearly, still with him. He could also be sure of one thing. "It was a good day."
Adam Kilgore can be reached at akilgore@globe.com.
