Mike Lowell was supposed to run headlong into a brick wall labeled “recovery” when he kicked off the 2009 baseball season.

The third baseman was returning from fairly extensive surgery on his right hip at 35 years-old – a time when most baseball players are worrying more about pensions and life after baseball instead of the 162 game grind. The lasting images of him from last season were Lowell hopping around the Tropicana Field turf in excruciating pain while gamely attempting to field a bunt at the end of the regular season, and then battling through the obvious discomfort of a balky hip while trying to participate in the playoffs.

Eventually Lowell succumbed to arthroscopic surgery on his right hip that repaired a piece of torn labrum and also shaved down the bone – a procedure that left a key older player to the Sox operation as a healing question mark this spring. Couple the injuries with winter rumors that the 2007 World Series MVP was on the trading block while the Sox heavily pursued free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, and it was a largely unwanted offseason of activity and rehab for one of Boston’s most dependable players.

“I love Mikey Lowell,” said Sox manager Terry Francona. “The offseason is a long time ago. It was an uncomfortable time for a lot of us, and (the trade rumors) was kind of all about the business side of it. I love Mikey Lowell.”

It would have been understandable if Lowell required pockets of rest time during the early going of the season, or if perhaps his bat was a tad tardy on fastballs during his first month back in the baseball saddle. Or perhaps Lowell would need his feelings mended following the cold, unforgiving way his named was dropped into trade talks after three seasons of dedicated service and dignified clubhouse leadership at the Lyric Little Bandbox on Yawkey Way.

But that clearly isn’t the way things are going down for the team, and – more importantly – it’s not the way things are going down for Lowell on all fronts in a surprising start for the Sox.

“I feel good,” said Lowell, who credited the training staff with plotting a perfectly timed rehab plan this winter and spring. “I think day games after night games I’ve got to warm up and do a lot more running and things to get ready. I have to tip my hat to the trainers because the plan they laid out could have been too laid-back or too aggressive, and I might have had a setback. 

“They were right on the money, and I tried to follow it as good as I could,” added Lowell. “I can honestly say at the beginning of spring I wasn’t as confident (the hip would be ready). I thought it was a long shot that I’d be ready to play every day.”

Aside from taking off the night portion of a day/night doubleheader as the only “rest” he’s received thus far in the first 20 games of Boston’s 2009 baseball season, Lowell entered the month of May riding an 13-game hitting streak during which he put up a .393 batting average along with 3 home runs and 19 RBIs. Couple the juicy hitting numbers with his typical Gold Glove defense at third base, and what you have is Lowell – same as he ever was.

Lowell is the very definition of the term “professional hitter”.

Never is that more evident than when the 35-year-old third baseman comes to the plate with runners in scoring position, and it’s up to the heavy-hitting Lowell to figure out a way to get those runners home. In his time with the Sox since joining the team prior to the 2006 season, Lowell has hit .306 with runners on base and .310 with Sox runners in scoring position in three seasons.

“I think he’s one of the best No. seven hitters in the game,” said Sox outfielder Jason Bay. “I don’t think that’s exactly a trophy that you’re going to put up in your office, but guys are getting on base in front of him and he’s coming through.

“He’s a guy that puts the bat on the ball and he doesn’t strike out a lot, so you put enough contact on the ball and you’re going to drive guys in,” added Lowell. “Some guys are just better than others and some guys really have an ability to just sniff out those RBIs – and (Lowell) is one of those guys.”

It’s something he’s done to great effect throughout his career as attested by three different seasons in his career when he’s reached the magical 100 RBI plateau – and another two seasons when he’s bettered 90 RBIs while throwing out Gold Glove defense at the Hot Corner.

The RBI is actually the stat that Lowell takes the most pride in offensively when every little number is dissected at the end of the day, and he’s going to have plenty of RBI opportunities with the Masters of OBP hitting in front of his spot in the No. 7 hole.

The 11-year veteran has spent large chunks of his time with the Red Sox batting in the No. 5 or No. 6 hole, but this season the depth and thickness in the middle of Boston’s lineup has allowed Sox manager Terry Francona to drop Lowell to the spot.
With guys like David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, J.D. Drew and Jason Bay grinding out at bats and getting on base at ridiculous clips in front of Lowell, the opportunities have been aplenty this season for the former Marlins infielder 

“I take pride in (RBIs) because I think that’s what my responsibility is,” said Lowell, who has missed only one Sox game this season after right hip surgery this winter. “A no-out RBI, one-out RBI or two-out RBI, I don’t really care as long as I get them. I think I’ve been pretty lucky that I’ve had on base percentage machines in front of me. Youk is unreal, J.D. and Jason Bay walk a lot, so I think that bodes well for me in the lineup that I’m in.

“I’m in situations with a lot of guys on base. I like that situation,” added Lowell, who is riding a 13-game hitting streak. “I think that’s kind of what I’m supposed to do on this team. Hopefully it continues for a while.”

Lowell ended April ranked second in the American League with 23 RBIs in 20 games played for Boston, and he seems to be well on his way toward another crack at the RBI century mark this summer. For a guy that was something of a question mark entering the baseball season, that’s truly a worthy accomplishment.

Not too bad at all for a guy still in “recovery”.