DODGERS NOTEBOOK: LOWE A CANCER SURVIVOR.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE Staff Writer

Derek Lowe's morning routine isn't much different than anyone else's.

Except for the sunblock he applies to his skin right after brushing his teeth each day.

``Like clockwork,'' Lowe said.

Nearly three years ago, a blemish on the tip of Lowe's nose was diagnosed as melanoma, a cancer of the pigment producing cells in the skin that darken its surface. The infected skin was removed on December 31, 2003, to insure the cancer wouldn't spread to other parts of his body.

``It was a scare, because you just don't expect to hear the word `cancer','' Lowe said. ``Obviously it was a situation that had a pretty big impact on my life.''

Lowe does what he can to guard against a recurrence, and that includes the daily sunblock treatment. And not just for himself. Lowe makes sure his children also apply sunblock every day.

``They have similar skin to me, sort of fair,'' Lowe said. ``You do what you can.''

Lowe is also trying to get the word out to other people, especially fellow baseball players who spend quite a bit of time working in the sun. He has an ally in Major League Baseball, which provides free skin-cancer screenings to players, coaches, staff members and their families at professional ballparks.

The ``Play Smart When It Comes to the Sun'' program is a joint effort that includes the American Academy of Dermatology and the Shade Foundation. The Shade Foundation was founded in 2002 by Shonda Schilling, a skin cancer survivor and wife of Boston Red Soxpitcher Curt Schilling.

Lowe -- who waited six weeks to consult with a doctor after first noticing the blemish on his nose -- realizes how fortunate he is that the cancer was caught in time. Skin cancer is the fastest-growing cancer in the country, claiming one life per hour.

One out of five children will grow up to develop a form of it, and it's the leading cancer killer of women between the ages of 20 and 30.

Kent still out: Second baseman Jeff Kent missed his fourth straight game with a slight oblique muscle strain.

Kent took rigorous batting swings in the cage Friday afternoon, and determined he was fit to return to the lineup, but he was a late scratch. He continues to be day to day.

Streak on: First baseman Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a single in the first inning, while right fielder J.D. Drew extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double, also in the first inning.