Pedroia quietly on a torrid hitting streak
Boston (50-32) at Houston (37-43), Saturday, 7:05 p.m. ET
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
   
HOUSTON -- Perhaps lost amid the sizzling power streak of J.D. Drew and the ace-like pitching of Saturday starter Jon Lester has been the resurgence of Dustin Pedroia.

As Pedroia proved last year, he can get hot and stay there for a long time.

The diminutive second baseman is hitting .514 (18-for-35) since June 18.

Consider that Pedroia was hitting .260 when he arrived to the ballpark on June 13, and he will bring a .295 average to the box in the first inning on Saturday night.

"It's been good," said Pedroia. "I was kind of beat up during that stretch where I had a tough time. But I feel a lot better at the plate. Now it's just a matter of maintaining it and doing all I can to help this team win."

Was Pedroia physically beat up or mentally beat up during the slump, when he hit .125 over a 17-game stretch that stretched from late May to mid-June?

"Physically," Pedroia said. "I'm pretty confident in my ability, so [my mental approach] is not a problem."

Quite simply, Pedroia has been raking.

"I just think, and I know I say this a lot, but good hitters, they get cold, they get hot," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "Sometimes, just as cold as they are, they get just as hot. That's what he's doing. He plugs away. He's taking some pretty healthy swings."

Kevin Youkilis has also been hot of late. The first baseman drilled a career-high four hits on Friday, and is now hitting .313.

But nobody has been hotter than Drew, who has 11 homers in June, matching his total from all of last season.

"He's doing a great job," said Pedroia. "With David [Ortiz] out, he's stepped right up and pretty much carried us. Him and Manny [Ramirez], and Youk's been swinging the bat great."