Lowell might be too pricey

The Red Sox would love to have Mike Lowell back next season, a team official said yesterday, but are concerned that in a light market for premium free agents, the third baseman might be able to command a heftier offer elsewhere.

"We would certainly like to figure out a way to sign him, but as with others, these negotiations often come down to length of contract," said the official, who requested that his name not be used.

Lowell is having a career season in the last of the four-year, $32 million deal he signed with the Florida Marlins, a deal that is paying him $9 million in 2007. Lowell came into last night's game against the Blue Jays with a team-leading 101 RBIs, including 20 during a 16-game hitting streak in which he batted .500 (30 for 60) before going 0 for 4 Tuesday night. Lowell had a single and walk in five plate appearances in the 6-4 loss to Toronto and is batting a career-best .329, tying him with rookie Dustin Pedroia for the highest average on the team.

Lowell acknowledged last night that he is aware the Sox have been keeping communications open with his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson, but said it was unlikely any deal would be struck before the end of the season. "Not that I wouldn't love to," Lowell said, "but with three weeks to go, I don't think the timing is right."

Lowell said it is not a given that he would test free agency. If he and his agents decided the Sox made an offer that in their view was fair market value, they might take it without shopping it.

The optimum time for the Sox and Lowell to come to terms might well be immediately after the World Series. A prospective free agent is eligible to file for free agency the day after the World Series ends, and while he may speak with other clubs, for 15 days he can negotiate only with his current club.

The Sox have shown a reluctance to sign aging players to long-term deals, the one exception being catcher Jason Varitek, who signed a four-year, $40 million deal after the 2004 season. Lowell turns 34 Feb. 24, and it remains to be seen whether the Sox would be willing to offer him a three-year deal, or whether that would even be sufficient to keep Lowell, given that another team might put a four-year deal on the table.

Lowell has repeatedly expressed a desire to stay in Boston, and unless Alex Rodriguez opts out of his contract with the Yankees, there is no corner infielder who has Lowell's credentials.

Home alone

The Sox are not taking Manny Ramírez with them to Baltimore for the four-game series with the Orioles that begins tonight because he is not ready for baseball activity, manager Terry Francona said. That means Ramírez will miss at least 12 games with a strained oblique, the injury that caused him to leave the Aug. 28 game with the Yankees.

"The medical people will give us clearance," Francona said. "It's not something where I can beat on somebody and say, 'Hey, look, we need him.' We obviously want him, but they will clear him when he's available to start baseball activities, and then how fast that comes we'll try to use common sense."

In the meantime, Francona continues to use rookie Jacoby Ellsbury, who has nine hits in 16 at-bats in five games since his call-up from Pawtucket. His two home runs with the big club gave him as many home runs in 35 at-bats as he had in 436 at-bats in the minors.

Does Francona plan to keep running Ellsbury out there as long as he remains hot?

"I don't feel like I have to give the media the lineup ahead of time," Francona said. "I don't feel like that's one of my obligations. The kid's been impacting every game he's been in.

"I think it's fun for you, fun for the fans, to get caught up in what can be, what could be, what will be. I don't need to do that because it just doesn't help. A week from now is a long time. But if you're asking me if I like what he's given us, yeah. But I don't need to make out the lineup too far ahead, either."

Stepping up

After throwing a simulated game yesterday afternoon at Fenway, Matt Clement has only one step to go in his nearly yearlong recovery from shoulder surgery - pitch in a game. That is assuming he bounces back from yesterday's session in which he threw 20 pitches to batters Brandon Moss and Kevin Cash, after throwing about 35 pitches in the bullpen and another eight warm-up tosses.

"I'd love to pitch," Clement said. "I'd love to be a part of this great thing that is going on here. If I could get one out that was meaningful in September, that would be great for me."

But he is realistic about the possibility that might not happen, and said he is prepared for the possibility he may not get beyond throwing simulated games or perhaps in an instructional league game in Florida. For now, the plan is for him to throw a bullpen session this weekend, then another simulated game after the Sox return home next week.

The Sox would lose roster flexibility for the postseason if they activated Clement. As long as Clement is on the disabled list, they can use that spot to make another player eligible for the postseason.

The joy on Clement's face was palpable as he discussed his outing. "I'm almost in shock how good I felt," he said.

He also was touched, he said, by the show of support he got from his teammates. Most of the pitching staff came out to watch him, and Josh Beckett came out to where Clement was warming up in the bullpen.

Francona and general manager Theo Epstein also watched.

"It may look like small steps to us," Francona said, "but it was a huge step for him."

Gagné improving

Eric Gagné played long toss yesterday and said he planned to throw a bullpen session this afternoon in Baltimore. "It's getting better and better," Gagné said of his tender right shoulder. "There's no pain, no stiffness in there." . . . Pedroia had the night off, even though he'd had multiple hits in his last five games, going 13 for 23, a .565 pace. Pedroia's average of .329 would be the fifth highest ever by a Sox rookie. Alex Cora, who is 1 for his last 16, started at second base and made a terrific catch of Aaron Hill's blooper into short right with runners on second and third and one out in the second inning . . . Coco Crisp came into last night's game with just three hits in 27 at-bats (.111) in his last eight games, but went 2 for 3 . . . J.D. Drew has just nine RBIs in his last 31 games and has had multi-RBI games just three times since June 25. Drew has not had a multihit game since Aug. 22 . . . Frank Thomas's second-inning single extended his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest by a Blue Jay this season . . . David Ortiz is the Sox' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which honors community service as well as outstanding performance . . . The Orioles have announced their starter Saturday will be Jon Leicester, who will be pitching one night after Boston's Jon Lester. Leicester is scheduled to face Daisuke Matsuzaka.