SEATTLE — In what almost certainly was a thinly veiled swipe at general manager Theo Epstein, Curt Schilling yesterday dismissed Epstein’s recent suggestion that the pitcher might benefit in the long run from his current stint on the disabled list.

“I agree with (manager Terry Francona) — it’s easy to analyze that when you’re not in uniform and you’ve never been in one,” said Schilling. “That’s a good way to look at it, I guess (as an executive); it’s different when you’re in (the clubhouse).”

On Friday in San Diego, Epstein said Schilling’s shoulder tendinitis might be “a blessing in disguise to a certain extent,” if Schilling returns and is stronger down the stretch thanks to the layoff.

Francona was asked later if he agreed with the assessment and noted his perspective might be different as someone in uniform, invested in the present and day-to-day competition.

Schilling will find out, perhaps as soon as today, when he will be cleared to begin throwing again. He said he has been busy doing “arm stuff, conditioning every day and a lot of sitting around.”

Asked if he might wait until after the All-Star break to return — he’s eligible to come off the DL on July 4 — Schilling said: “I’d like to be back tomorrow. But they have protocol. They’re going to do some testing. (We’ll find out) in the next couple of days.”

Schilling received a cortisone shot in the shoulder last Tuesday, after returning to Boston to be examined.

“I felt immediate improvement after I got the shot,” he said. “But when the shot wears off, you’ve got to start from zero.”

He reported feeling restless during his downtime.

“They pay me to pitch and to win games,” said Schilling. “When you’re not doing that, you don’t feel good.”

Error-free Youkilis

Kevin Youkilis set a Red Sox franchise record Monday night by playing his 120th consecutive errorless game at first base, eclipsing the mark held by Stuffy McInnis, who had a 119-game streak in 1921. Youkilis’ last error at first was July 4, 2006, in Tampa. He has handled more than 1,054 chances since then.

Lowell tossed?

It appeared that third baseman Mike Lowell was ejected by home-plate umpire Jim Reynolds after the final out of the game. Lowell tossed the bat in apparent disgust after a called third strike. Reynolds then pointed at him, the usual signal for an ejection. The two continued to jaw as they left the field for the dugout.

Lineup tilted to the right

Back in American League competition, the Sox had the use of the designated hitter again and thus, a more set lineup.

J.D. Drew returned to the leadoff spot, with Dustin Pedroia hitting second and Kevin Youkilis hitting fifth. That current lineup features three straight right-handed hitters — Manny Ramirez, Youkilis and Mike Lowell — in the middle of the order, making it imperfect. But manager Francona said he’ll stay with the current version for the time being.

“We could do a lot of things,” said Francona. “But I think we have it set up pretty well now.”

Shortstop Julio Lugo remains at the bottom of the order, batting .193 before last night, hitless in his last 26 at-bats, the longest futility streak of his career. His previous lowpoint was a 20 at-bat streak, which happened twice — once in 2003 and once in 2005.

Lugo had just one hit in his previous 34 at-bats, and over the last 16 games was just 5-for-62 (.081).

“I don’t know if he’s even been through this,” said Francona, “with his speed and what he’s done in the past. It’s surprising to all of us. I just know if he gets going, he’s going to help us a lot.”

Lugo went 0 for 3 last night.

Around the horn

David Ortiz stole his first base of the season in the third . . . Former Red Sox catcher and coach Bill Haselman visited with players, coaches and manager Terry Francona before the game. Haselman lives in the Seattle area and is doing some part-time work for KIRO Radio as well as working as an investment broker . . . Kason Gabbard, who will pitch tonight, was in town, but per major-league rules, couldn’t be in the dugout. He won’t be activated until today, when the Sox will likely return David Murphy to Pawtucket. …With an off-day Thursday after the conclusion of this trip, the Sox will give each one of their starters an extra day of rest. … Josh Beckett is the seventh Red Sox pitcher since 1957 to win at least 11 games while suffering just one loss. Beckett needs to win his next four decisions to tie Roger Clemens, who began 1986 with a 15-1 mark. …The Sox had played five straight errorless games before last night and committed just one error in the last 10 games.

smcadam@projo.com