Lowell takes special measures

MRI of his hip sent to doctors

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Mike Lowell woke up in his hotel bed yesterday morning expecting the pain in his right hip, so severe Tuesday night he doubled over at his third base position, to have subsided. A night's sleep, he figured, had usually helped the aches he endured throughout his career.

Yesterday morning was different. Lowell's hip felt worse than the night before, throbbing and stiff. He worried immediately the injury would force him out of the Red Sox' lineup for an extended period. Lowell called a team doctor and asked, "Could something like this get worse?"

Lowell and the Sox spent yesterday scrambling for an answer. The Sox sent an MRI of Lowell's hip to two specialists, one in New York, and Lowell called "at least three or four" independent specialists before meeting with Terry Francona in the Tropicana Field visiting manager's office. Today will provide a clearer picture, but yesterday concluded with the Red Sox harboring increasing concerns that the torn labrum in Lowell's right hip will limit his availability for the remainder of the season.

Lowell traveled with the Sox to Toronto and hopes to return to the lineup tomorrow night against the Blue Jays, but said he'll need to receive more information today. He will have a conference call with doctors. Lowell did not eliminate the possibility that he will need to see a specialist in New York, but he doubted the specialist would request a meeting.

"In a couple days, it should feel a lot better," Lowell said. "I still feel I can get in the lineup and contribute. If it's to the point where I'm a hindrance to the team, then we've got to look for another direction. Just that one yesterday really tweaked something."

Lowell charged a bunt by Jason Bartlett in the fourth inning Tuesday, threw off balance to first for the out, then bent over in pain. Francona and a trainer rushed out of the dugout to attend to Lowell, but he wasn't coming out. "What am I going to do, get slower?" he said, jokingly, to Francona.

He remained in the game, but Lowell's injury ceased to be a joking matter. Doctors told him yesterday the labrum - a layer of cartilage Lowell had already torn - had "popped" in and out of the joint in his hip.

"Basically, every trainer and specialist who looked at the MRI, what it did show is that the labrum is a little bit worse," Lowell said. "But the symptoms and the treatment and what I can tolerate, nothing changes."

Lowell asked several doctors yesterday if the ailment could worsen, "and they really say that it can't," he said. "I look at that as a positive." The MRI Lowell and the Sox sent the specialists was taken last month, when Lowell injured an oblique muscle. Lowell has played through the injury for nearly a week, and though the pain flared up, he hopes to continue to play through it.

"The hard thing is, in the end, this is probably going to end up being what he can handle," Francona said. "And we've all seen he can handle a lot."

Potential bunters pose the lone issue, Lowell said, because he's a step or two slower. He also expressed confidence in the pitching staff's ability to deter batters from bunting with difficult pitches.

"It doesn't hurt me to swing, except the last at-bat" Tuesday, Lowell said. "But I think that was caused by the play earlier. So I feel like as long as I can swing pain-free, then I feel like I can manage to play third base. I think we can make minor adjustments to be productive. I would like to play. I've never played Wiffle ball in the backyard saying, 'This is a game in June.' You say, 'This is a game on the line.' I want to be in there. So I'm hoping in two days it will feel a lot better."

First baseman Kevin Youkilis moved to third last night, with Sean Casey coming off the bench to play first. Francona indicated he would not hesitate using Mark Kotsay at first base, either.

Lowell has experienced nagging injuries in every season of his career, he said, "but nothing this prolonged. This is getting very annoying." He spent nearly a month on the disabled list with the oblique injury, a week home in Miami, and assumed that would solve his lingering hip issue. After a week of inactivity, sprints still made his hip tighten.

The injury may require surgery at the end of the season, and Lowell has inquired about potential long-term ramifications. "I'm all for doing what I can to be on the field, but I don't want to sacrifice my health later on in my life," Lowell said. Doctors eased his concerns by telling him playing through the injury would not increase his chances for a hip replacement.

Lowell watched his teammates play last night, able only to wait for more news. He knew today in Toronto, in at least one way, would be better than yesterday. "I'm looking forward to a movie and a big steak," he said.

Adam Kilgore can be reached at akilgore@globe.com.