BOSTON -- Derek Lowe has been among the best pitchers in the American League this season, if not the best.
But even though he has authored a no-hitter this year, and even though he was leading the league in earned-run average and batting-average against, and even though he was tied for the league lead in wins, Lowe was facing a new challenge last night against the Colorado Rockies.
Lowe was being asked to show he can be a stopper, the pitcher a team can rely on to snap a losing streak.
The Sox had lost three in a row, a season high, having been swept at home by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the final two games of that series, Pedro Martinez and John Burkett each had lost for the first time this year.
But Lowe, fighting a blister on his right thumb, stopped the bleeding, leading the Sox to a 7-3 victory over the Rockies at Fenway Park last night. The solid performance further enhanced his status as at least a Red Sox co-ace along with Martinez.
And along the way Lowe became the league's first 10-game winner, improving his record to 10-2, as the Red Sox came alive at the plate (11 hits) and on the bases (season-high four stolen bases).
"He's doing the same kind of pitching as Pedro Martinez," said manager Grady Little. "The team expects to win when he goes out there. He was able to go out there and stop a three-game losing streak."
"He's got good stuff," added Brian Daubach, who homered and drove in three runs. "This year he's trusting his stuff."
Just don't expect Lowe to call himself a stopper, not on a team with Martinez and Burkett in the rotation. And not a guy who only last year was failing miserably as a closer, booed at Fenway even before he took his first step out of the bullpen.
"It's too early for me to be considered a stopper in my career," said Lowe, whose ERA rose slightly, to 1.89, still tops in the A.L. "This is my first year as a starter in a long time. I felt I could go out and pitch a good game, like I have all year. But if you put too much pressure on yourself, you can get in trouble."
One difference last night was that Lowe actually gave up some hits. Lowe, who had not allowed more than six hits in any of his previous 10 starts, was touched up for eight by the Rockies, equaling his season high.
Still, for the most part, Lowe was effective again with his sinker. Of the 18 outs recorded by Lowe, 14 came on groundouts and 3 on strikeouts, with only one fly-ball out.
Outside of Bobby Estalella's solo homer off the Coke bottle over the screen in left in the fifth, snapping Lowe's season-long homerless streak of 881/3 innings and his stretch of 108 innings over two seasons, and Todd Zeile's solo blast just over the wall in the sixth, the right-hander kept the Rockies from elevating the ball.
"I told you I wouldn't go my whole career without giving up a homer," cracked Lowe.
But even the Rockies' hits were mostly ground balls, most of them up the middle as the they seemed to be using Lowe for target practice. Lowe snagged three shots back to the mound, with one ticking off his glove for an infield single and two others zipping past his glove on the way into center field.
"I lost my chance to win the Gold Glove award," joked Lowe. "I can't remember how many balls they hit up the middle, but I think I got three and they got four by me. I won't be looking in the mail for the award."
He was, however, looking to go longer in the game than just six innings. But a blister developed during the fifth inning, similar to one he endured during his one-hitter in Baltimore in his first game of the season.
So Little and pitching coach Tony Cloninger, who are being careful with his innings and pitch counts, especially because he hasn't been a starter for a full season for a long time, decided to pull him after six with the Sox up, 7-2. Tim Wakefield finished up, earning his third save, a three-inning effort.
"We didn't want to take any chances," said Little.
"I could have gone longer, but it was their decision. It was the right one," said Lowe.
While Lowe was lulling the Rockies to sleep, the Sox' recently slumbering offense awakened, using the long ball, the stolen base and some shoddy Colorado defensive play to kick it into gear for the first time in four games.
Daubach led the way with his three RBI, but stolen bases by Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon helped put the pressure on the Rockies. It was the first time since Aug. 5, 1996, when Mike Stanley, Mike Greenwell, Darren Bragg and Jeff Frye ran wild, that the Sox had swiped four bags in a game.
So the Red Sox were back in the victory column.
"Even though we lost three games, there was no sense of panic," said Varitek, the Sox' catcher.
No need to panic at all, not with Derek Lowe on the mound this year.
