BOSTON — Maybe J.D. Drew was just saving his hits for when they really count. Or maybe he’s just having better swings and more luck, but the bottom line is that Drew, a $14-million bust for most of this season, is coming on strong this month.

Last night Drew blasted his 11th homer of the season in the seventh inning, vaulting the Red Sox to a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

And in some ways, he owed plate umpire Bob Davidson a gift for his unwitting part in Drew’s heroics. Davidson called a 3-and-1 pitch a strike, much to the surprise of Drew, who was starting toward first base, thinking he had walked. Drew then crushed Nick Blackburn’s next pitch over the Red Sox’ bullpen, turning a 4-3 deficit to a 6-4 win.

“I don’t know if he [Davidson] wanted me to thank him,” said Drew, as loose and relaxed as he has been all year with the media. That’s because Drew, whose homer was part of a 3-for-4 night, finally has reason to smile.

The taciturn right fielder has batted .393 (24-for-61) over his last 18 games, raising his average from .252 to .270, the highest it has been since Drew was batting .276 on May 4. Over those 18 games Drew has five doubles, one triple, four homers and 15 RBI.

And for Drew and the Sox, his hot streak couldn’t be coming at a better time, with a postseason date with the Angels a few days away.

“I’ve had my ups and downs (this year), a lot more downs than up, but hopefully things will work out. We’ve got the postseason to go through. Hopefully I can have a good one and finish up strong. I’m just trying to find some good rhythm and not think about what I’m doing mechanically at the plate. I just want to see the ball and react to it,” said Drew.

Lowell’s an RBI machine

Mike Lowell raised his RBI total to 120, the most by a member of the Sox since 2002, when Nomar Garciaparra drove in 120 runs . . . The sellout crowd of 36,919 boosted the Sox’ season total to 2,934,661 with today’s home date remaining, establishing a record.

Schilling gets rest for ALDS

Terry Francona was quite adamant early yesterday that Curt Schilling would start today’s season-finale against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park, despite the fact Boston clinched the A.L. East title on Friday night.

Well, just about hour before last night’s game, the Red Sox announced that the right-handed veteran would not start today. Julian Tavarez will get the nod instead.

Since the Sox clinched the division, there’s no need for Schilling to pitch today. That decision basically sets the Sox’ rotation for the first two games of the ALDS against the Angels. It’s likely Josh Beckett will start Game One on Wednesday night and Schilling will get the ball in Game Two on Friday. Both games are at Fenway Park.

Wakefield notches 17th win

Last night felt more like a spring training game than the second-to-last contest of the regular season. With the division title in hand, the Red Sox sent Tim Wakefield to the hill. The veteran knuckleballer improved his record to 17-12, tying a career mark for wins in a season. He posted a 17-8 mark in 1998. Last night he went seven, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with zero walks and one strikeout.

Chance for a breather

Some Red Sox players were given yesterday off in order to get some much-needed rest, including slugger David Ortiz, second baseman Dustin Pedroia and shortstop Julio Lugo. Francona said giving guys the day off yesterday was more for physical reasons than mental.

“Mentally we don’t want to shut it down,” he said. “We’re at a point where David really needs a day. I know he’s swinging the bat great, but he needs it.”

Manny Ramirez, who recently returned to the lineup after missing 24 games with a strained oblique, served as the club’s designated hitter last night to get the much-needed at-bats. He has also been bothered by a sore quad, so Francona said it was a chance to let Ramirez’s legs to “bounce back.”

In order to keep guys fresh, Alex Cora started at second and Jacoby Ellsbury played left, while Coco Crisp returned to the lineup in center field. Royce Clayton played short.

skrasner@projo.com