PAWTUCKET –– There's a new leadoff hitter in Pawtucket, and his manager is becoming quite fond of him.

That must mean Freddy Guzman is doing something right.

"I told him yesterday, I said, 'Freddy, I'm starting to like you. But that's not odd, because I like everybody who does good,' " said manager Ron Johnson.

For most of the past two seasons, slow-footed, sharp-eyed slugger Jeff Bailey has led off. Now, Guzman and his elite speed give Pawtucket a more traditional top-of-the-lineup attacker. Prior to Bailey's callup Tuesday he was hitting second and Chris Carter third. And it worked. Bailey had a nine-game hitting streak underway before his callup. Carter had three home runs in his last seven games.

"I'll tell you what, Freddy's made a lot of things happen," said Johnson. "He gives you a different element, obviously, than Bailey in the leadoff spot."

That helps the big bats of Bailey and Carter get pitches to hit. With Bailey in the leadoff spot, opponents would pitch around him.

"With Bailey in good situations, he was getting breaking balls. 2-and-0 breaking balls. They're pitching around him. Now, With Freddy on first base, it's difficult for them to do that to Jeff," Johnson said.

Guzman, 28, is hitting .276 with 19 runs and 13 steals in 123 at bats going into Tuesday night's game. He's well aware that much of his value comes when he gets on base –– whether or not he actually steals.

"When I get on base, they pay too much attention to me at first and they throw a lot of fastballs to the batter, and that's good for the hitters," Guzman said.

Guzman played in the majors for the Padres in 2004 and the Rangers in 2006 and 2007. He started out this year in the Mariners organization, but was released dollowing an injury-plagued spring training and the Sox scooped him up on May 16. He got off to a slow start, but since then has become a valuable part of the lineup, particularly once he stopped trying to steal every time and instead started using his speed as a threat.

"I have natural speed, and it's about instinct," Guzman said. "When you are on the base, I'm trying to see something in the pitcher."

"He gives you an opportunity to create a lot of [chaos] when the game's going on. He's going to make people nervous," Johnson said.

Defensively, Guzman is splitting time with Bubba Bell in center field, as the pair replace Jonathan Van Every, out for the season following knee surgery. Van Every was gazelle-smooth in center, gliding to every ball. Guzman makes every catch looks like a diving adventure –– but he gets there.

"Freddy, everything is moving 150 miles per hour," Johnson said. "He's just all over the place."

Guzman said he likes roaming the middle of the outfield.

"I feel comfortable in center field. I can play wherever they need me, but I've played more center than the other positions."

With Bailey in the majors, Guzman is still in the leadoff spot, but Jeff Natale is behind him. When Bailey returns, expect the big right-hander to slot in behind Guzman, and for Guzman to remain right where he is.

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Jed Lowrie's rehab from wrist surgery continues to be hampered by a bruised knee. Lowrie missed his second straight Pawtucket Red Sox game Tuesday night as the team tries to calm down the spasming muscles of the shortstop's leg.

Lowrie was hit on the left knee last week and was pulled from Sunday's game, saying that his legs felt weak as they tried to compensate for the bruise.

He sat Monday, and will be re-evaluated on Thursday. Pawtucket has an off day Wednesday. Lowrie rode a bike in the Pawtucket exercise room Tuesday night.

"I don't want to make it sound like a big, big major deal, which I don't think it is, but it's nagging, and it's big. Bruises will calcify, and all that kind of stuff, and it's irritating him," Johnson said.

Lowrie underwent wrist surgery in April and joined Pawtucket last week for what was expected to be a few weeks of rehab starts, bringing him back before the All-Star break. Now his timetable for a Boston return is unclear, as the team wants to make sure his knee is fully ready before they even put him into the field to work on the wrist.

"He's trying to rehab one body part, so we don't want him favoring another as he tries to come back from that," Johnson said.

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Jeff Bailey went from a 14-inning midnight Triple-A game to learning he was likely headed for a major-league callup. It was a frantic turnaround for the dependable outfielder, who was informed of the move Monday night and was on a flight to Baltimore Tuesday morning.

Pwatucket manager Ron Johnson knew he had to get Bailey on a plane Monday night, but not whether he would definitely be activated.

"Everything was tentative until [Tuesday]," Johnson said.

The righty Bailey was called up instead of say, left-handed Chris Carter, because the team needed a right-handed bat, Johnson believed. The Sox already have Mark Kotsay to play first and outfield, and provide a lefty bat off the bench.

"They've got a lot of left-handed hitters up there right now –– I'm just speculating, but –– Bailes did a real nice job against left-handed pitching when he was up there. That's the kind of situation where he would be of real value," Johnson said.

Bailey joined Boston for a month earlier this season, and although he hit .188 overall, he hit .375 against lefties with two home runs.

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To celebrate the fourth of July, the PawSox will launch fireworks from McCoy following Thursday and Friday's games against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Ticket sales have been brisk for both games, and only general admission tickets remain for Thursday's game. Both games begin at 6:15 p.m., and the fireworks should begin roughly half an hour after the conclusion of each contest.

dbarbari@projo.com