He's down with that

Yesterday, Lowell blasted a two-run homer into the first row above the Green Monster, the highlight of his 3-for-4, three-RBI game as the Sox rolled over the Twins, 10-1, to open a doubleheader. Lowell leads the team with 16 RBIs, a total helped by the red-hot hitters in front of him.

Twelve of his RBIs have come during his seven-game hitting streak, which has raised his batting average from .154 to .315. He has driven in a run in all seven games. The team record for consecutive games with an RBI is 10, held by Manny Ramírez, Butch Hobson, and Jim Rice.

Lowell's slow start, he said, had little to do with his surgically repaired hip or the fact he missed the beginning of spring training. He simply was too anxious at the plate, a problem he solved by chatting with hitting coach Dave Magadan.

"I wanted to try to slow things down," Lowell said. "Sometimes, when you want to get a hit and you want to get a hit, you're too aggressive. I just wanted to try to let the at-bat come to me. I think it just relaxed me a little bit. I've been seeing the ball really well, and I've taken advantage of my pitch. I'm happy with the way I've been swinging the past week. I just hope it continues."

Dropping Lowell in the batting order has made him one of the most fortunate hitters in the league. Entering last night's game, Kevin Youkilis (.556 OBP), J.D. Drew (.408), and Jason Bay (.459) were getting on base at such a proficient clip that Lowell had made 26 of his 59 plate appearances this season with runners in scoring positions.

"That bodes well for me to be hitting in good situations," Lowell said. "I've always said I love the opportunities. But it's not so much the opportunity. You better do something with it."

And Lowell has. He accepted his new position in the lineup without complaint. His approach never wavered from the rest of his career, when he typically hit fifth or sixth.

"I don't change the way I hit," Lowell said. "Guys are getting on base in front of me, so it really didn't feel any different. I really don't dwell on it all that much. I'm still in a position where I'm getting a chance to drive in a lot of runs, and that's what I like to do, that's what I want to do.

"It's all in the way you look at it. How many times do you really hit seventh? If we're swinging the bats good, I'm going to get four or five at-bats, anyway. We want to be in a position where the pitcher has to respect every part of the lineup."

Lowell sat out the night game of the doubleheader, and he expects the relentless and blistering days in the middle of the season will provide a tougher test than what he's felt so far. He prefers night games to day games because of the extra time to "get loose, get going," he said.

Lowell looks at the effects of his surgery realistically. He could joke when a reporter suggested he look pained yesterday when he wheeled into second for a double.

"I think that's just a natural bad look that I have from now on," he said.