A footnote: Lowell ailing

With Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek already on the disabled list, the Red Sox got more bad news after last night's 7-6 loss to the Indians.

Mike Lowell, already hobbling after taking a foul ball off his right foot Tuesday, had X-rays on his left foot after being removed last night in the top of the ninth inning. Although the scan was negative, his left foot will be reexamined in Tampa today, according to manager Terry Francona.

Lowell, who fouled a ball off his left foot in a first-inning at-bat, said his foot was throbbing after the game. He stayed in the game but said his foot got worse.

``I just can't put any pressure on it right now," said Lowell, who had to sit in the middle of a postgame interview. ``I'm hoping it's just a bruise, but I really hope it feels better tomorrow.

``It feels like crap right now."

With the frustration mounting and his biceps tendinitis not getting better, pitcher Matt Clement will shut down for the next three weeks, hoping his arm will improve enough so he can finish the season healthy. Whether that will help the Red Sox down the stretch has yet to be determined, though it seems unlikely Clement will return in 2006.

``The problem is that when he's throwing, he doesn't feel like he can let it go without hurting himself," Francona said. ``There's some apprehension. He's gone through his long-toss program fairly well. When he's on flat ground, he does fairly well. When he gets on the slope of the mound, that's when he starts feeling apprehension."

Francona met with Clement, the trainers, and the doctors Wednesday to determine the best course of action for Clement, who has not taken the mound for the Red Sox since June 14.

Think the post-disabled list Mike Timlin hasn't been the same as the pre-disabled list version? You're not wrong. Timlin, a mainstay in the bullpen since 2003 as a setup man and erstwhile closer, hasn't been the same since arm trouble landed him on the DL from May 28 (retroactive to May 26) to June 13. Before the stint, Timlin carried a 1.40 ERA with 5.6 strikeouts per nine innings and .47 home runs per nine innings. Since then? His ERA is 4.71 over 21 innings, with 3.4 strikeouts and 1.29 home runs per nine innings. And, in the past two weeks, Timlin has given up two home runs that turned ties or leads into deficits, allowing Richie Sexson's walkoff blast in Seattle June 23 and Travis Hafner's eighth-inning shot Wednesday. ``We're trying to give him a little longer to warm up," Francona said. Timlin pitched a scoreless ninth last night . . . Shin-Soo Choo's grand slam was Cleveland's ninth of the season, which leads the majors . . . Keith Foulke started last night's game in Pawtucket against Syracuse, going one inning with one walk and two strikeouts. He threw 18 pitches, 10 for strikes. The plan has him pitching again tomorrow. To gauge his readiness, Francona said he might request to see Foulke throw two innings Monday, or pitch in back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday . . . With his RBI single in the first inning, Manny Ramírez extended his hitting streak to 19 games, one shy of his career high. He also hit the 1,500-RBI mark. He is 45th all-time, nine behind Mickey Mantle.