Drew's return hits a snag

Outfielder feels more spasms

The long wait seemed to be nearing its end. J.D. Drew had occupied a spot on the disabled list since Aug. 26 and has not played since Aug. 18 because of a strained lower back. But it appeared before last night's game that he would return to the Red Sox lineup this weekend.

But there was a complication yesterday. Though manager Terry Francona had announced before the game that Drew would be available, the innings crept by and Drew never entered. By the time the Sox got to the 14th, it seemed obvious that something must have gone wrong. And it had.

"He had a good workout, went through everything full speed, and then his back tightened up, so we stayed away from him," Francona said.

Francona had said Drew would be available off the bench after being cleared by the medical staff earlier in the afternoon. "He did everything with no limitations, or at the worst, very little," Francona said before the game. "So he'll be available tonight, and we'll work him back in after the offday."

But by the time the first pitch was thrown, that was no longer true. With today's day off, Drew will be reevaluated before the weekend, when the Sox face the Blue Jays.

Before Drew was injured, he had been slumping, batting just .209 (18 for 86) as his average dipped from .302 to .280 in his last 26 games.

Without Drew, the Red Sox have been going with the outfield triumvirate of Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp, and Mark Kotsay. Ellsbury and Crisp have been playing center field, with Ellsbury and Kotsay rotating in right and Kotsay getting additional work at first base. Because of the four-game, three-day series with the Blue Jays, there is likely to be some shuffling whether or not Drew is ready to come back.

"We can do a lot of things," Francona said. "Again, we're going to have a lot of games in a short span, so I don't think playing time right away is going to be a problem with anybody. We have [17] games. That's not something I really worry about."

Foul mood

Francona nearly got ejected last night when he came out to argue a call in the second inning. With one out, Mike Lowell hit a ball down the left-field line, near where the stands meet a brief strip of foul territory. Dan Johnson slid to try to make the catch in foul territory when a fan knocked the ball away. Though it was questionable whether Johnson would have caught it, third base umpire Mark Wegner ruled Lowell out on fan interference. That didn't sit well with Francona, who got in the umpire's face. So what was the explanation? "That the fielder has to have an opportunity to make the play and that if they're - I'm trying to think how exactly it was said. I wasn't doing as much listening as I probably should [have]. I thought he made a great effort to get there, I didn't think he was in position to catch the ball, and I still feel that way." Francona did manage to stay in the game, and the fan appeared to be escorted out.

Extra information

After the 4-2 loss last night, the Red Sox are 7-4 in extra innings this season . . . Sox pitchers left the bases loaded in the fifth and sixth . . . David Ortiz dropped a sacrifice bunt in the 12th. The last time he did that was April 14, 2001, against the White Sox, when Ortiz was with the Twins . . . Since Josh Beckett came off the disabled list, he has struck out 14 in 11 innings . . . Dustin Pedroia hit his 46th and 47th doubles of the season, breaking the club record for a second baseman. Jody Reed had 45 in 1990 . . . Jason Varitek's seventh-inning single snapped an 0-for-13 slump.

Hard knocks

Though Jed Lowrie came to the plate and immediately hit the ball hard last night, that hadn't been the case lately. Lowrie was 6 for 36 in his last 11 games before last night, with three doubles, eight RBIs, and nine walks. Over his previous 20 games, Lowrie was hitting .186 (13 for 70) to bring his average down to .272 from .312. But Lowrie got hits in his first two plate appearances last night, a single and a double to right field, and finished 2 for 5. "They've made some pitches up, hard," Francona said before the game about Lowrie's struggles. "He's still not swinging at a lot of balls. He's not found as many holes. He's not panicking. I think it's typical. I just don't know if you come up from the minor leagues and immediately hit .320 - some of it's the law of averages. There's times we were able to hit him lower in the order, which I think was good. Then out of necessity, we had to move him up because of injuries or sickness. That's why when young guys come up, we don't just shove them in that 1 or 2 hole when everybody's clamoring for that, because it's probably asking a little bit much." . . . David Aardsma, who pitched a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts Tuesday night for Single A Lowell, was activated for last night's game. "The leg didn't hurt at all throwing," said Aardsma, who had been working his way back from a strained groin. "I think the biggest part is I wasn't tentative. I think I might have pushed it a little last time trying to get back so bad. I kind of tried to learn a little bit from that mistake, kind of taking it easier and develop it and get it strong before I just jump right in there. The one good thing is I felt like I was hitting my spots. That's the one thing I wasn't doing before. When I came back, I felt good but I wasn't hitting my spots."

Front and center

Ellsbury started in center field, after not being in the starting lineup in three of the last four games. Crisp, who is 16 for 27 (.593) in his last seven games and extended his hitting streak to 11 games Tuesday night, got the night off. His average is up to .290. "We need to get Ellsbury in there," Francona said. "Coco handled it." . . . The Angels clinched the first postseason berth of 2008 with 2 1/2 weeks remaining in the season. Asked if it's difficult for a team to try to maintain intensity without a playoff chase, Francona said, "You know, I think we always feel whatever we do, we try to turn it into an advantage." . . . Paul Byrd is slated to pitch the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, with Bartolo Colon going in the nightcap.