Lowe was receptive to his favored status

“The ovation was a nice gesture. They didn’t have to do it. They’re great fans,’’ he said.

“But I have to move on with a loss.’’

He had walked off the mound at Fenway Park half-triumphantly in the seventh inning. The fans behind the visitor’s dugout stood and cheered, and he kept his eyes focused on the infield grass. For a pitcher departing in the middle of an inning, Lowe’s walk was slower than usual. He was in no hurry to leave, and the fans were in no hurry to stop their applause.

Then, he tipped his cap.

Maybe, for a second, he thought he was a Red Sox again.

The final numbers for Lowe’s start - his first in Fenway since he helped the Sox win the World Series five years ago - look pedestrian: seven hits and three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. But for the first 4 2/3 innings he was essentially unhittable. His sinker was working, his control was sharp, and he was absolutely the ace the Braves wanted when they signed him last offseason.

“He was great tonight,’’ said Braves manager Bobby Cox. “He was a little amped up before the game, but he’s always a little amped up. I never know what’s going on inside him.’’

He was outdueled by Josh Beckett, who tossed a five-hit shutout, one of the best performances of his career. But there was a glow to this loss, and Lowe didn’t hide it.

“I didn’t know what kind of reception I was going to get,’’ he said. “I was just hoping I don’t get booed.’’

Lowe bounced around the clubhouse, poking fun at media members who left to talk to other players. One reporter mentioned Lowe is a sentimental guy, and Lowe pretended to choke back tears. But Lowe was feeling extra sentimental last night.

“I got to face my buddy Tek for the first time tonight,’’ Lowe said of his former batterymate Jason Varitek. “He banged a couple off that wall tonight.’’

Those Fenway kinks he had adapted to years before are what got him in trouble as an opposing pitcher.

“If you play one game here, it may get to you,’’ Lowe said. “If you make 16 starts here, it’ll help you.’’

“Those lofty fly balls that Boston hitters hit that bounce off the little wall there, that was it,’’ said Cox. “Boston’s players have been doing that for, what, 80 years? And it was no different tonight.’’

But it was a little different for Lowe. He left the game, cap in hand, trying to pretend this sort of thing happens all the time.

“When you lose, it’s hard to relish anything,’’ he said, “but it is special to have that kind of appreciation.’’

Ben Collins can be reached at bcollins@globe.com