Boston’s left fielder Jason Bay, who went 0-for-3 last night, scores on a Jed Lowrie single in the fourth inning against Toronto.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

BOSTON — Just when the Red Sox thought J.D. Drew would be able to return to the lineup — again — he had another setback.

After Boston’s 7-0 victory over the Blue Jays last night at Fenway Park, Red Sox manager Terry Francona said the club’s right fielder had another injection at the “point of tenderness, and not an epidural” near Drew’s herniated disk, and will miss the rest of the series.

Drew also learned yesterday that his grandmother died, so he’ll return home and meet the team in Tampa.

“He didn’t have a really good day,” Francona said.

Originally, Drew was going to play in one of the two games of today’s doubleheader, but his back “grabbed” at him again.

“I’ve been having good days and bad days,” he said. “Some days I swing and an hour later I can hardly move. Some days I swing and feel pretty good later. . . . It’s been really frustrating.”

Drew had been activated from the disabled list last Monday but has not been able to play. Every time it appears he’s close to returning, his back “locks up” on him.

“We’ve been patient,” said Francona. “So to get impatient doesn’t make a lot of sense. I think he’s frustrated. He wants to get out there and play.”

With the regular season coming to a close, and a playoff berth within Boston’s grasp, Drew said he’d try to play with the discomfort.

“I will,” he said, “but if it gets bad enough, then you can’t play with it. It’s not an injury you play through. It’s one of those injuries where, when it gets locked up, there’s no swinging and no running. There’s no fine line.”

Drew said he and the medical staff have done everything possible to get him ready to play, but to no avail. Still, he’s confident he’ll be able to contribute soon.

“I’m confident, but I can’t predict what’s going to happen,” he said. “We’ve got some capable players who can fill in and do a good job. My thing is not trying to be a hero and be stupid. I don’t want to hurt the pitching staff by not being able to track down fly balls the way I’m capable off, and hurt the team by not being able to swing the bat effectively.”

When asked whether he would require offseason surgery to repair the damage, Drew said he wasn’t thinking about that now. He would rather wait to see whether the problem goes away again.

What makes his absence more frustrating is the fact that this is the time last season he excelled. After struggling early during his first season in Boston in 2007, Drew finished strong. He hit .393 with six doubles, four homers and 15 RBI in the final 18 games of the season.

“This is the time of year you look forward to,” he said. “Coming down the stretch and getting into the rhythm and carrying it over into October. I don’t really enjoy watching. I would rather be out there playing.”

When asked whether, at any point during his recent injury, he thought about shutting it down for the season, Drew was very quick to answer.

“No,” he said. “Never. Not at one point.”

With Drew not available, the club decided to recall outfielder Jonathan Van Every from Pawtucket.

“He can pinch-run and he’s a good outfielder,” Francona said.

Lugo gets in the swing

Julio Lugo was all smiles yesterday because he was able to hit and suffered no setbacks with his torn quadriceps.

He tore the quad on July 12 and has been out of the lineup since. He was able to hit yesterday and now he’ll work on getting his mobility back. His first-step explosion is critical, he said. Running-wise, Lugo said he’s at 65 percent and his goal is to return by the end of the regular season.

“Every time you get hurt you’re racing against the clock,” said Lugo “Especially now that the season is almost over, you try to push it as long as you can.”

When he suffered the setback in Baltimore on Aug. 20, Lugo thought his season was over.

“I was in a lot of pain,” he said. “It felt worse than it did the first time. Now I think I’m recovering good.”

Long day at the ballpark

The Red Sox will play three games in a 30-hour span, beginning with today’s day/night doubleheader. Paul Byrd will work the matinee for Boston, followed by Bartolo Colon. Because of the situation, Francona will have to mix and match his next three lineups to keep guys fresh.

Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury did not play last night, but will play both games today. Catcher Jason Varitek will catch one game today, leaving the other to either Kevin Cash or David Ross.

With Mike Lowell still feeling the effects of a hip flexor and oblique strain, he’ll likely play only the nightcap. Sean Casey is scheduled to play first base in the matinee, with Youkilis moving to third.

“[Lowell] is a little sore,” said Francona. “He’s got some issues going on that we need to be cognizant of and we will.”

Lowell recently spent time on the DL with an oblique issue, but the right hip flexor, which he has dealt with for much of the season, is giving him more of a problem.

“We’ll try to run lineups out there for both games where we can win and not go backwards physically,” said Francona.

Around the bases

When Dustin Pedroia pounded a double high off the wall in the third, it marked his 67th extra-base hit of the season, tying Bobby Doerr’s 1950 output for the second-most for Red Sox second basemen. Doerr holds the franchise record with 69 in 1940. … The double also enabled Pedroia to become the third American League player this season to reach 300 total bases. The others: Baltimore’s Aubrey Huff and Texas’ Josh Hamilton. Doerr also holds the club record for most total bases for a second baseman in a season — 304 in 1950. …Coco Crisp extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a seventh-inning single. He’s hitting .489 (23-for-47) during the stretch. … Kevin Youkilis saw his streak of reaching base for 44 consecutive games snapped with an 0-for-4 night. His run was the longest in the big leagues since Kevin Millar had a 52-game streak in 2007. Youkilis’ streak was the longest for a Red Sox player since Wade Boggs put together a 57-game streak in 1985. … Kevin Cash’s homer — a three-run shot in the eighth — was his first since July 9. He’s one homer shy of tying his career-high (four), which was set with Toronto in 2004. … Mike Lowell (two singles) enjoyed his fourth multi-hit game in his last six starts since returning from the DL. … The Red Sox are 14-0 when Jed Lowrie drives in two runs or more.

smcadam@projo.com