Working on errant ways

SEATTLE - As Julio Lugo's defensive struggles continue - the shortstop has 12 errors - he has become less eager to talk about it. It stands to reason, of course. But it doesn't help explain the balls that keep kicking off his glove or the throws he short hops to first base.

"I don't know why," Lugo said yesterday. "I wish I knew. You know how you go into an offensive slump, you go into a defensive slump."

But that was it. Lugo was off to the batting cage, away from the questions about his defense. It's clearly weighing on him, evidenced by his desire to stay away from the topic. And that won't change until his defense does.

The Red Sox have been trying to get through it by using Alex Cora as a late-inning defensive substitution. Though the team is comfortable continuing to do that, they are not planning on starting Cora regularly. Instead, they hope Lugo's additional work with Luis Alicea will translate to an improvement in the field.

"Rather work with him than point a finger at him," manager Terry Francona said. "I think that's how we always feel. I agree, there are more errors than are healthy to win. But we don't want to point fingers at him. We want to help him get better."

When asked what Lugo is currently working on with Alicea, Francona couldn't help but give a wry answer: "Not making errors," he said.

"He wasn't overtly, openly receptive at the beginning," Francona said of Lugo working with Alicea last season. "Because again he's a guy that had played a long time and been pretty successful. But Luis and he forged a relationship where as they got into the season they started to mesh together. The second half of last year he did a pretty good job.

"He's trying to, I think, in everybody's eyes fulfill that contract. It's probably not as easy as it looks sometimes."

Lugo's continuing to work on moving his feet, which was often his problem in the past. But he's made the errors. Those won't go away - unless he stops.

"There's usually reasons, more than one, when something happens," Francona continued, referring to Lugo's 12th error, which happened Sunday. "If [Kevin Youkilis] picks it - and I'm not blaming Youk, the ball's in the dirt - but if Youk picks it, it kind of goes away.

"I'm sure he's thinking about it a little bit. That's part of the reason we get him out of there. He also has been aggressive for the most part. These errors have been kind of strange because, in between these errors, he's been aggressive. He's gone in the hole, he's made some good plays. That's the good side of it."

Buchholz update

Francona talked to Clay Buchholz about his next rehab start, which is scheduled for Friday at Durham, N.C., but did not go further than that in terms of his progression back to Boston. Francona was adamant over the weekend, though, that Buchholz is not headed for the bullpen, and the organization understands that the health of its pitchers is not a given - meaning there might be a spot in the rotation by the time Buchholz is healthy enough to come back. Or there might not.

"Working on a little bit of getting away from his head to try to create some movement with his fastball," Francona said. "He had that arm slot when he signed. Just trying to get some consistency with that. Take advantage of these innings when he's not here. But he sounded real upbeat."

Buchholz threw four innings plus one batter on Sunday for Pawtucket in his first rehab start since going on the disabled list with a broken nail on his right middle finger. He gave up one run on three hits and two walks.

Youkilis: First aid

Youkilis was scratched from last night's game just before 5 p.m. with Sean Casey moving into the lineup at first base. Youkilis hurt the back of his right hand and was wearing a white bandage yesterday. The first baseman wasn't exactly sure when he had done the damage. He did start feeling it Sunday night. "It could have been from any kind of swing," he said. "There's a lot of times your hands and wrists are achy and stuff like that, just swinging, checked swings. I use my hands a lot, so you never know. I've had little things like this before but basically this one hurts a little more." Youkilis iced it Sunday, thinking it would improve, but it didn't . . . Jon Lester got a chance to see his father, John, Sunday night for the first time since the elder Lester was diagnosed with lymphoma. Lester is staying at home in Puyallup, Wash., for the series. "It's good to see him," the pitcher said. "He was doing good from the beginning and he really doesn't look much different, with the exception of no hair. Same old Dad." Lester did report that the new World Series hat he brought from Boston for his father got left at home - the elder Lester already had too much Sox gear on.

Something's brewing

Julian Tavarez, who elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Red Sox, appears ready to sign with the Brewers. Tavarez worked out for the team Sunday, and was scheduled to head to Milwaukee for a physical yesterday before being activated tomorrow against the Braves. The Brewers would be Tavarez's eighth team . . . Former Red Sox reliever Geremi Gonzalez, who was with the team in 2005, was killed in his native Venezuela when he was struck by lightning Sunday. He was 33. Gonzalez was 2-1 with a 6.11 ERA during his season with Boston. "He didn't know anybody's first name," Francona remembered. "Called everybody 'my friend.' Bill Haselman actually would quiz him out in the bullpen, made him learn everybody's name. I tell you, he would take the ball every day. I was shocked [to hear of his death]." . . . Jason Varitek wore camouflage catching gear last night in honor of Memorial Day. The equipment will be auctioned off on redsox.com with the proceeds going to the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund . . . Jacoby Ellsbury, the pride of Madras, Ore., had quite a contingent from his home state at last night's game, including all of his immediate family.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.