01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, May 22, 2005

BY ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Slump? What Slump?

Johnny Damon isn't in any slump. Not any more. A little home cooking can do wonderful things.

After a team-best 18-game hitting streak from April 22 through May 13 during which the Red Sox star centerfielder hit .463 (38-for-82) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 16 RBI, and 18 runs scored, Damon struggled on Boston's recent road trip, going 0-for-11 in three games against Oakland, but he managed to score four runs.

When the Red Sox returned to Fenway on Friday, Damon, 31, snapped out of his hitting slump. He reached base 4 times against Atlanta on Friday in Boston's 4-3 win, going 2-for-2 with a triple and a pair of walks.

His hot streak continued last night, though Boston lost, 7-5. He was one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox, going 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored to up his batting average to .364 (63-for-173), and he has now scored a run in six consecutive games (seven total runs) and in 13 of his last 17 games (18 runs).

He attributed his turnaround to playing at Fenway.

"I just love being here at Fenway," Damon said. "My balance is better. The work ethic that you have is more of a routine. On the West coast, you are three hours behind, and that's no excuse, but I just wasn't feeling right. You have different cages in a different city with a different batters box. I just could not put it together."

Damon has reached base safely eight times in his last nine at bats since returning to Fenway. He had reached base safely seven times in a row, but that streak came to an end in the bottom of the seventh inning when he grounded out to second base. In the bottom of the ninth, however, Damon led off the inning with a bloop single to center and was later driven in by Manny Ramirez' double.

He is hoping to continue his stellar hitting game after game.

"I am very happy that I have been able to put together two decent games here," Damon said. "Hopefully I'll have a good one (today) and carry it on to Toronto."

Damon led off the first inning with a single to right, but the Red Sox went down 1-2-3 after that. Damon crushed a one-out single to center in the bottom of the third inning, but Edgar Renteria flew out to left field, and David Ortiz hit into a fielder's choice grounder to short to end the inning.

Damon walked his third time at bat, moved to third base on Ortiz' single to right, but Ramirez struck out to end the inning.

Since going 0-4 on opening night, Damon is batting .373 (63-for-169) with 11 doubles, 3 triples, a homer, 21 RBI, and 35 runs in 39 games.

Damon has at least one hit in 33 of the 39 games that he has been in, and he has two hits or more in 21 of those games.

Damon also has seven games with three hits, and has one four-hit game.

Damon, now in his fourth season with Boston, enjoyed one of the finest seasons by any leadoff hitter in baseball last year, batting. 304 with 35 doubles, a career-high 20 home runs, a personal-best 94 RBI, and 123 runs scored (second in the A.L., one behind Vladimir Gueerrero). His 74 walks were also a career best and he led all Major League leadoff hitters in runs (121) and RBI, was second in walks, and third in hits (187), and home runs.

Damon hopes that the Red Sox will rebound today.

"There are no excuses here," Damon said. "We had our chances, but they were good."