Speaking for myself, I never projected either of them as the #3 hitter for the Red Sox. I always like Lowrie's bat. I used to call him Minny Manny, because he was very productive with his hits getting a lot of RBIs. Middle of the order? Yeah, I could see him batting 5th or 6th if he stayed healthy. Who the hell ever thought Pedroia would bat cleanup at times?
The fact is this E1, both the A's and the Astros got their number three hitter for spare parts, essentially just a bullpen guy. That's a good deal for them even if they have weak lineups. BTW, weak lineup or not, the A's handed us our hat when we faced them this season.