And that something was watching from his warm spot on the bench.
Mike Lowell may have gotten the loudest ovation from the Fenway faithful during pregame introductions, but after having to watch his teammates rally to defeat their archrival on Opening Night at Fenway Park — something he's gotten used to participating in since being shipped to Boston from Florida in late 2005 — it did indeed feel like something was missing.
But the sentiments that came with seeing the veteran third baseman riding the bench weren't quite enough to override the clutch, game-tying, RBI single that his replacement delivered off CC Sabathia in the bottom of the sixth.
Lowell's situation presents a difficult one for Red Sox management. You have a fan favorite who was the MVP of the franchise's last world championship. His legacy in Boston is defined by that accomplishment, but his age and declining health make it hard to justify keeping him for $12 million. That, of course, is why the team has tirelessly tried to trade him to Texas since the end of the 2009 season, according to numerous reports.
A potential deal fell through in December because of Lowell's unforeseen hand injury, and as a result, he ended spring training in a Red Sox uniform — something very few expected to see.
Now, the team has a skilled veteran backup infielder (a skilled backup who makes $12 million, but a skilled backup, nonetheless) who could come in handy if Adrian Beltre underperforms or if Kevin Youkilis gets hurt. Lowell even presents a serious threat as a pinch hitter, although it's hard to justify paying that much money for someone who's going to get one at-bat on select occasions.
One game is a very small sample size to work with, but solely considering Sunday's opener, this question would be a lot easier to answer if Beltre had tanked — which, obviously, he didn't. The third baseman hit sixth and finished 1-for-3 with two very big RBIs.
Benching Youkilis in favor of Lowell was already out of the question, but is even more so after Youk's player-of-the-game performance on the biggest stage possible on Sunday. The cleanup hitter went 3-for-4 (two doubles and a triple) with two RBIs and three runs scored.
Given the performances of Beltre and Youkilis, though, another possible solution to the odd-man-out equation is replacing David Ortiz with Lowell in the DH spot. Ortiz hit fifth on Sunday and went 0-for-3 with a walk. Nobody is hoping that Ortiz begins 2010 struggling the way he did in 2009 (through April, he hit .217 with zero home runs and nine RBIs), but you have to wonder what will happen if Ortiz stumbles out of the gate like he did last year.
It is obvious that Lowell is still a very capable hitter. Yes, he has experienced a serious decline in terms of mobility after undergoing hip and hand surgery in the past year or so, but in 119 games last season, the 35-year-old hit .290 with 17 homers and 75 RBIs. By comparison, Ortiz hit .238 with 28 homers and 99 RBIs in 150 games.
So do the Red Sox continue shopping Lowell, knowing full well that they could end up paying as much as $9 million of the $12 million he is owed? Or should they hold onto him for insurance?
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April 4: How do you feel about the Red Sox starting the season at night on Easter Sunday?
