Lowell in pain but keeps playing

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Mike Lowell leaned over, his hands on his knees, his expression one of pain. The Red Sox third baseman had just come in on a ball in the fourth inning, a slow roller by Jason Bartlett, and made the barehanded play for the out at first base.

It was, as he had said the night before, the hardest play for him to make in the field with the partially torn labrum in his right hip - the play on which he feels the most pain.

"I think that chopper didn't really do justice for me," Lowell said. "It's just kind of frustrating. It's not really going after them. It's the off-balance throw, that I think all the weight goes on your off-balance leg.

"It just really grabs me, then it kind of goes away. Burns a little. That doesn't feel really good."

Though there's no sense that a day off will improve the hip situation, that might be what Lowell gets today. He was planning on speaking with manager Terry Francona this morning, though he said, "I don't know if it's going to get better. It's almost like, what's the point?"

Lowell stayed in the game after the play but came out for pinch runner Jonathan Van Every in the ninth inning after a slow jog to first base on a single to left. He said he believes that playing with the injury should not make it worse, but it feels tighter than it did before.

"It lingers for a very short time, then it just feels tight," Lowell said. "It's acute, I would say, when I turn my hips violently. I feel it tighten when I'm running. I know it's hard to distinguish between me and [Jacoby] Ellsbury down the line, but there is a difference."

Perhaps the most frustrating thing for Lowell is that he thought the last injection - a mix of anti-inflammatory, nutrients, and something to coat the hip joint - given to him Thursday was going to improve the situation. The one before that had made him feel better, but this one hasn't helped as much.

Raising the roof

The roof of Tropicana Field is made from eight acres of Teflon material, held up by architectural magic. Four circular catwalks, hanging high above the diamond, secure the vertical supports necessary to prevent the building, literally, from collapsing.

"It's really a masterful concoction of stress-supported steel and cabling and wires," said Rick Nafe, vice president of stadium operations. "It's just not great for baseball."

Nafe's park could come under more scrutiny than ever this fall, when the Rays will likely play their first postseason game, and those catwalks could factor into some playoff results.

The catwalks, all shaped like rings, hang above the field, lettered A, B, C, and D from inside to outside. (The letters have no meaning; they could just as easily be numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4.)

The Rays did not even have ground rules for the catwalks, Nafe said, until Frank Thomas blasted a ball off one just days into the maiden season, 1998. Quickly, they drafted some: The A-ring and B-ring are in play - balls that bounce off them are live, and balls that stick in them are ground-rule doubles. The C-ring and D-ring are not in play - balls that strike them are home runs or foul balls.

Drew still frustrated

Injured right fielder J.D. Drew returned yesterday after attending funeral services for his grandmother, but when he returns to the lineup from the herniated disk in his back remains to be seen.

Drew has set several targets for a return, experiencing a new setback each time. He is "very hopeful" to return in Toronto this weekend but decided against making any more declarations.

"I've been hopeful the whole time," Drew said. "I know it's getting kind of redundant. It's hard to [set a date] because it's been so tricky. Have a good day, and feel pretty good, and hit well and run well. An hour later, you can't hardly walk."

After Drew's back "locked up" last Friday - a day he hoped he would play - he had a cortisone injection, then received the news about his grandmother's passing. After a day of soreness from the shot Saturday, Drew said he felt "somewhat better" yesterday. Drew shagged fly balls for 15 minutes yesterday and took batting practice in a cage.

The artificial turf in Toronto, where the Sox begin a three-game series Friday, may provide another obstacle, but Drew believes it won't be an issue.

Departure, arrival

Bay was out of the lineup last night, as he returned to Boston to be with his wife, who gave birth to a daughter, Evelyn Jane, at 6:47 p.m. Bay arrived about 45 minutes before the delivery. The Sox plan to have Bay rejoin them in Toronto . . . Julio Lugo worked out again in his attempt to return from the strained quadriceps he suffered shortly before the All-Star break. He said he felt "75 percent," an upgrade from Friday's 65. Lugo swung during early batting practice and took more ground balls, working more on lateral movement. "I'm feeling better," he said. "I'm starting to feel comfortable again. It's getting better. We put a little a more pressure yesterday and today." . . . Ellsbury has played 163 games in his major league career and has yet to commit an error. Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino holds the record for consecutive games to begin a career without an error at 176.

Driving them batty

Both Jason Varitek and Josh Beckett looked outraged on a call made by home plate umpire Gary Darling that Justin Ruggiano was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning. Neither they, nor Francona, who came out to argue the play, thought it hit Ruggiano. "Not the end [of the bat]," Varitek said. "I thought it hit just above his hands, even with his reaction. Luckily, that didn't end up hurting us." Ruggiano was stranded on first base, with Beckett getting three straight outs . . . Mark Kotsay went 0 for 3 with a walk and is now 1 for his last 20 . . . After Bartolo Colon throws a side session today, he will be reevaluated in Toronto. There are two likely options for Colon: Either he will be used out of the bullpen in a "structured environment," according to Francona, or he will throw simulated games, as there is no room in the rotation. Francona said Colon has been very cooperative. Colon has made three relief appearances in his career.