Wait is weighing on Sox

They get rained out, finish with two today

Daisuke Matsuzaka stood alone in the middle of the outfield in the pouring rain yesterday, throwing to bullpen catcher Mani Martinez, off near the right-field foul line. Fenway Park had mostly emptied, the game a casualty of the ever-increasing rain, and Matsuzaka had been pushed back for a second consecutive day. He needed to get some throwing in, some work, before he tries to get in his final start of the season for a third time today.

It had to be frustrating, as the past two days have been for players and fans alike at the ballpark. There are playoffs ahead, a postseason roster to plan for, and all anyone can do is wait.

Wait for the rain to stop so the Red Sox and Yankees can get in their final two games of the season today - at 1:35 and 7:35 in a split doubleheader. Wait for half of the roster to get healthy so the Sox can determine who might be ready to play against the Angels. And wait for Game 1, Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif.

That last piece of news came late Friday night, after the Sox had finished their rain-soaked game, and after the Angels had clinched the best record in the American League. It means that, in addition to being able to use just the top three starters (Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Matsuzaka), the Sox have some flexibility on their 25-man roster for the first round because of the extra days off. And that should help, given all the question marks on the team.

"I'm not sure I really had a preference," manager Terry Francona said. "I don't think, regardless of what schedule there is, that will determine the series. I think it'll be determined by who plays better. But the one thing it does is whoever plays with the lead has an advantage, 'cause you're able to go to the back end of your bullpen all the time. So the idea is not to play from behind."

Well, that's generally the idea. But a good Angels bullpen and a somewhat inconsistent Sox pen only underscore the necessity of starting well offensively. That, though, is complicated by other issues, specifically Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew.

Despite continuing treatment, evaluation, and work, two of the Sox' bigger offensive threats have been stymied in their attempts to return from a right hip injury and a lower back injury, respectively. They have tried, in one game each, and have been thwarted.

"It's tough," Drew said. "I know Mikey wants to perform as I do and just get out there and play, especially in the postseason. We're scratching our heads a little bit."

There was slightly better news on Lowell yesterday than there had been Friday night, when he reaggravated the hip injury on a checked swing in his only at-bat after missing eight games.

It was not quite so bad yesterday; Francona said Lowell "actually was a little surprised that he felt as good as he did." After Lowell injured the hip against the Rays Sept. 16, he woke up particularly sore the next day.

Still, Lowell almost certainly will not play in today's doubleheader, unlike most of the other starters. While it would be easier for Lowell to play in the postseason without getting in a game today, Francona said, given that he played 10 days ago and rust is not a concern, there is more worry about Drew, who has played just three innings since Aug. 17.

"I think that's at least somewhat encouraging," Francona said of Lowell. "We'll just let him spend the next couple days, let the medical people work with him, and we'll get him out there Tuesday and run him through a workout and see how he does. He's a tough kid, maybe the toughest I've ever seen.

"He's hurting. We'll evaluate how he's doing and go from there. He's not ready to quit, so we would not quit on him."

Lowell's response? "I'll take that as a compliment. I'm not really in a tough guy competition."

They apparently are not yet quitting on Drew, either. Drew, after sounding down about his availability in the near future, apparently felt better later in the day - enough to be penciled into Game 1 today. The plan is to start him in right field, then add in other injured players, like Coco Crisp (ball of the left foot) and Alex Cora (bruise on his right upper thigh) in the second game.

"I think everybody's concerned, especially myself," Drew said. "We're trying to get it to a point where we can make a decision, see how it goes.

"Right now, for what I'm doing, for what the trainers are doing, we're trying to do everything we can to get it to a point where I can be on the roster if everything's healthy. I can't in good conscience say, 'Yeah, I'm ready to go,' and then leave Tito stranded after playing one game and not be able to walk the next day. We've got to get past that point."

Drew said the tests he had Friday were to make sure there weren't any internal problems, but that the reasons for the back stiffness are still unknown, whether they're a result of an old injury or because of his herniated disk. Either way, as long as the weather holds up for a game, Francona was expecting to list Drew's name on the lineup card this afternoon.

That should help - either way - as the team begins to finalize its roster for the first round, whether Lowell and Drew will have spots, whether Jeff Bailey gets his shot, and how some of those players might be able to contribute to a postseason run.

"We'll continue to evaluate and see where we are," Francona said. "We're in the midst of talking to players, making - not decisions on the roster - but who would go with us, who wouldn't. We'll send some guys to instructional league. We certainly want to cover ourselves. Because of some of our health issues, we probably will take a couple more people with us than maybe normally we would."

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.