Banged-up Lowell and Drew receive a little downtime

SAN DIEGO -- Mike Lowell looked at the tape from the Red Sox' series against the Giants last weekend. He didn't like what he saw.

"The San Francisco series, when I watched film, I got so many good pitches to hit," Lowell said before hitting in the cage yesterday afternoon. "I felt like I just wasn't there. I felt like I had to cheat to get a run in."

Since straining ligaments in his left thumb on a diving defensive play against the Yankees June 3, the third baseman has been struggling offensively, hitting just .163 (8 for 49).

Lowell did not start last night's series opener against the Padres (entering in the eighth as a defensive replacement), and J.D. Drew, who experienced tightness in his right quadriceps Wednesday in Atlanta, did not play.

"In Oakland and, I'd say, Arizona, it bothered me," Lowell said. "It got better when we played Colorado and San Francisco. But I just noticed that my hand fatigues and I couldn't do the same amount of drill work. I didn't want to, just for the sake of getting into two games, make this linger a lot more. I'm really not playing in one more game than I would have [sat out] because I would have sat out one of these and taking four off in a row might be really good. I'm hoping."

Drew seemed almost sure he would be back tonight, indicating that the tightness is confined to a smaller area than when he initially felt it. Lowell said he would use his pregame session to determine his readiness.

Manager Terry Francona seemed to believe both players had a chance to play tonight, though he appeared more sure about Lowell. He added that he and Lowell already had planned for the veteran to not start last night's game.

After slumping for much of the early season, Drew had begun to hit with authority, raising his average from .230 to .243 in six days. Drew said the quadriceps had been bothering him for four or five days before he really felt it while legging out a double in the second inning Wednesday.

"Just really trying to not do anything stupid today in batting practice, but enough to see where I'm at with it," Drew said. "Tough one to come out of, but I think it was all for the best. I've dealt with a quad injury before and I didn't want to jeopardize a ball in the gap or try to leg out an infield hit or something and really [mess] it up and [be] down for a long time."

Drew said the current injury is unrelated to the strained right hamstring that forced him out June 1 against the Yankees in the fifth inning.

Curt Schilling was expected to arrive here around game time after being reexamined by doctors and working out with rehabilitation coordinator Scott Waugh in Boston. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

While Schilling is eligible to return July 4, the club could keep him out through the All-Star break a week later to give him extra rest.

"I think it's too early to get into timetables," general manager Theo Epstein said. "It's unfortunate. No one wants to see a pitcher on the disabled list. It's an opportunity to get him rest, rehabilitation, and restrengthening, so we can get him in peak condition to have an outstanding second half. There's an argument to be made that all pitchers should get a blow of some sort for optimal performance in the second half when it matters most. That's not commonly done. But with Schill, this might be that opportunity, a blessing in disguise to some extent."

Francona would not comment on who would replace Schilling in the rotation, but Pawtucket's Kason Gabbard and Jon Lester appear the likeliest candidates.

Director of amateur scouting Jason McLeod sounded optimistic that the Sox soon will sign their top two draft picks.

McLeod said the team was "really close" in negotiations with pitcher Nick Hagadone and expects to make an announcement in the next few days. The University of Washington product was picked 55th overall.

Ryan Dent (62d overall), an infielder from Wilson High in Long Beach, drove an hour and a half to hit with the club before last night's game. Both Dent and McLeod said talks are progressing quickly.

With Drew hurt, and only one true outfielder on the bench (Wily Mo Peña), the Red Sox brought up David Murphy from Pawtucket. He will almost certainly return Tuesday when a starter is recalled to take Schilling's turn in Seattle. "Obviously when you're up, you never want to go back down," said Murphy, who struck out swinging in the ninth inning after entering as a defensive replacement for Peña. "But at the same time, you have to be mentally strong. There's a common Triple A attitude, there's so many guys that have been up, and I don't want to get to the point where I'm bitter and constantly thinking I should be up when I'm not. That's going to affect my play on the field." . . . The players spent their pregame time filling out All-Star ballots . . . Red Sox pitchers had worked 19 straight scoreless innings, matching their previous season high (June 15-17), before Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed a run in the first. Their last streak that lasted longer was a 22-inning stretch from July 17-20 last season . . . According to Dave Smith of Retrosheet, last night's game against 339-game winner Greg Maddux marked the 24th time since 1927 that the Red Sox faced a pitcher with at least 300 wins . . . Former Red Sox reliever Cla Meredith, sent to the Padres in the deal for Doug Mirabelli last year, pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Meredith allowed an infield single to Coco Crisp.