PORTLAND — The rain drums harder on empty seats at Hadlock Field and no one will be able to judge Jed Lowrie's progress from his wrist surgery and bruised knee. He can't swing a bat or play shortstop for the Sea Dogs.

Not in this weather.

In Boston, the rain stops and the Red Sox are playing Oakland. Sea Dogs fans, crowded in the concession concourse, watch the game on monitors or peek outside at the big screen in right field.

A collective moan sounds. Scott Hairston hits a Josh Beckett pitch for a home run. Fans turn to fans, asking the questions that invite opinions, not answers.

Whaddaya think? Will the Red Sox ever shake the Yankees this summer, or will the chase for first place go down to the last week of the season? And what's up with the Rays and Jays?

Lowrie may not be the second coming of Hanley Ramirez or Nomar Garciaparra, but that's not the point. He's the upgrade over Nick Green and Julio Lugo, which means he's the aspirin to your headache and maybe even the sedative to your anxiety attacks.

Everywhere you look, it seems, you're reminded of the fragility of today's baseball players. Mike Lowell's sore hip. J.D. Drew's bad back. Daisuke Matsuzaka's tired arm. Rocco Baldelli's fatigued muscles, caused by his channelopathy condition. Mark Kotsay's sore calf.

That's why it was important to watch Lowrie step into the batter's box Tuesday night. Seeing is believing. If Terry Francona doesn't need him tomorrow, he might next week and most definitely next month.

It doesn't matter if you're the coach of a fantasy league team or the real thing, you need access to the spare parts bin, as former Portland Pirates Coach Barry Trotz used to call it.

Something breaks, it must be replaced. If you're strapped for cash, you go for the reconditioned or second-hand stuff.

If you're playing for a championship, you need the factory-authorized replacement part. Red Sox fans should relax. Theo Epstein has proven to be an effective parts manager.

World Series teams didn't always have to be all-star teams. The Yankees, with their excessive spending, changed that. Yankees ownership dared the Red Sox to match dollars in an arms race that didn't always pay off.

Today Sox fans are feeling a bit stressed. Ownership wouldn't pay the extra dollars for Mark Teixeira, who would have bumped Kevin Youkilis to third, and Lowell and his repaired hip probably off the roster.

Now Lowell's hip is sore and you're holding your breath. Short of a move before the trading deadline later this month, who replaces Lowell?

Today the pitching rotation is set, but tomorrow it might not be. Each pitch is an arm injury waiting to happen. Who saw Beckett's quad injury coming last summer?

It seems the only malady that hasn't visited the Red Sox clubhouse is anxiety disorder, which may yet be contagious. A sports pyschologist on radio says we're seeing it in baseball because too many parents and coaches didn't allow their children or young players to fail.

And when they do, they can't handle it.

The Red Sox may still be immune to that. Those 86 seasons of failure haven't been forgotten completely.

Jed Lowrie will be back with the Red Sox. His presence will calm frayed nerves. And if he does catch his cleats, slip and sprain his ankle between now and then?

Maybe Nomar's available. After the appreciative applause he received Monday night on his return to Fenway Park, his appearance in a Red Sox uniform would close the circle.

And put something useful in the spare parts bin.

Relax, Red Sox fans.

Staff Writer Steve Solloway can be contacted at 791-6412 or at: ssolloway@pressherald.com