Talks will have to wait

CLEVELAND -- As further evidence of the mighty challenge facing the Red Sox, agent Scott Boras, who represents Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe, indicated yesterday he has virtually no interest in negotiating with the team until after the season. Boras all but ruled out additional talks with the Sox during the season, just three days after Pedro Martinez similarly severed negotiations.

"I'm not a believer that this is the time for it," Boras said of negotiating during the season. "I will always keep the door open for [the Sox], but on the other hand I am very, very sensitive to the fact that our thrust during the season should not be on individual contracts. Jason and Derek have commitments to the team through this year, and our job is to help them focus on the mental and performance side of the game as best we can."

Describing contract talks during the season as potentially harmful distractions, Boras said the performances of both the players and the team could suffer if he and the Sox were bargaining.

"When you're talking with a team about who they are as players and what the demand could be for them as free agents, those are issues that require a great deal of focus from me and the players," he said. "That's something I choose not to do."

Boras indicated the only way he could be enticed to negotiate would be if the Sox offered Varitek or Lowe deals that at least matched, if not exceeded, what he estimates the players could command as free agents. He would not discuss terms, but he is believed to consider Varitek worth as much as $10 million annually over three or four years and Lowe worth even more.

Over nearly 25 years, Boras has taken many established players to free agency, including Alex Rodriguez, who jumped to the Rangers in 2001 for a record $252 million. But a number of his clients have completed the final years of their contracts and signed with the same teams, including Bernie Williams, Charles Johnson, and Darren Dreifort.

"These players truly care about the commitment they have to their teammates, their fans, and the team," Boras said of Varitek and Lowe. "This is not the time [to negotiate]."

Revised lineup

With the offense slumping, manager Terry Francona dropped Bill Mueller from second in the order to eighth and replaced him with Mark Bellhorn.

"I'm just trying to put Billy in a position where maybe he can take a deep breath," Francona said. "Billy beats himself up so much, he's so conscientious. Maybe this will put him in a position where he can relax a little bit."

Mueller, who had batted only second this year, started 35 games last year in the 8-hole, batting .400 with a .500 on-base percentage en route to winning the batting title. He was 2 for 4 last night.

"The number doesn't matter to me," Mueller said. "I'm just happy to be in the lineup and contribute in any way I can, like I always have."

Bellhorn got his league-leading 27th walk last night, and also went 1 for 4. He is on pace to break Ted Williams's team record of 162 walks.

Show and tell

Tempers flared in the sixth inning when Cleveland starter Jason Davis took offense at Manny Ramirez flipping his bat and taking his time beginning his home run trot after launching a 459-foot blast to left. The 23-year-old righthander walked toward the line and yelled at Ramirez, who spewed back a few invectives. "I hate pimping, but that ball was crushed and Manny has hit 350-plus home runs," Johnny Damon said. "Manny has earned that right. I think [Davis] realized when he yelled and our bench yelled back at him that Manny is a premier player. I hope to see Manny pimp a few more times this year." . . . The Sox dropped a fifth straight game for the first time since last June 3. They had not committed an error in four straight games before Mueller made two in the fourth inning.

Silent treatment

Martinez, dismayed by the backlash against him after he cut off contract talks, does not plan to speak publicly again this season to the Boston media. He kept a promise to a number of reporters to share his feelings about the negotiations once they ended, and he felt blindsided by the reaction . . . Closer Keith Foulke was sidelined Sunday and Monday with a minor back spasm, and Francona seemed reluctant to use him if the situation arose last night. "If we lose him for two or three days, we've got guys who can get people out," Francona said. "We don't want to rush him back for an outing and lose him for a week because we weren't patient enough. When he's ready, he'll pitch." . . . Kevin Millar, who fouled a ball off his left foot in Monday's game, was not in the lineup. Francona said the injury seemed severe enough after Monday's game that he told Brian Daubach he would play right field and David McCarty he would play first base last night. Francona decided to stick with the alignment even though Millar reported that the foot felt better . . . Vice president of baseball operations Mike Port was upgraded to fair condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as he recovers from a heart attack. Port, 58, was breathing on his own after his respirator was removed. The Sox said he was awake and alert . . . Curt Schilling's wife, Shonda, will receive the 18th Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Award today at the John F. Kennedy Library for her ongoing commitment to public service. A survivor of skin cancer, she is the founder of SHADE, The Curt and Shonda Schilling Melanoma Foundation of America . . . Darrell Johnson, who managed the Sox to the 1975 World Series, died Monday at his home in Fairfield, Calif., after a battle with leukemia. He was 75. (Obituary, Page B7.)