In what could be considered a surprising twist, especially when one considers how the first half of the season went for him, Jed Lowrie may become a pretty important part of that bridge to Iglesias.
With the first multi-homer game of his career Tuesday in a 9-6 win over Seattle, Lowrie continued to swing a productive bat when healthy. Throw in the fact that he has proven to be a quality defensive shortstop, a position Scutaro can scarcely play right now due to lingering shoulder issues, and Lowrie has cemented himself as a factor at the position, perhaps beyond just the remainder of the 2010 season.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona likes to remind people when they ask about Lowrie that he was once such a factor before wrist problems derailed his progress last year and then a nasty bout with mononucleosis pushed back his 2010 debut until July 21.
But Lowrie will be just 26 when Opening Day 2011 rolls around, nine years younger than Scutaro, and has time to put the medical issues behind him. If and when he does the Sox will hope for more of what they saw Tuesday.
Lowrie had a two-run shot to give Boston its first lead in the second. His solo blast in the fourth made it 4-2.
After that second home run sailed over the wall in left Lowrie had 31 hits this season, 16 of them for extra bases. Only David Ortiz has a higher percentage of extra-base hits among Red Sox hitters with significant playing time. Lowrie’s .971 OPS in August led Boston and he is the only player on the team who has played in at least 10 games to have as many walks (18) as strikeouts.
Again, if he can only stretch that sort of production over the course of a full, healthy season, Lowrie may graduate from utility status.
Scutaro was brought on board in large part because of his solid, if not overly spectacular, defensive game.
The same could be said for Lowrie, who notably had 49 straight errorless games at shortstop in his rookie campaign and has appeared much more comfortable there since moving over from second base in a recent swap with Scutaro.
In 2010, Scutaro was the team’s oldest regular shortstop since Luis Aparicio in 1973. The chance was always there that age could catch up to him before his contract is up. If that’s the case, and knowing that the 20-year-old Iglesias needs more seasoning on the farm, then a stop-gap could be needed.
Lowrie has filled that role before. He stepped into an injury void in 2008 to knock in 39 runs in his last 60 games while playing that stellar shortstop and adding in an ALDS-clinching walk-off single. His presence provided some stability at a position that has seen very little of it for the Red Sox since Nomar Garciaparra was traded.
There will be more changes coming at the position in the next year or two or three. Lowrie’s presence, production and hope for better health gives the club another option.
