(For the sake of full disclosure, this is Jonathan Mayo, filling in for Ian Browne for the day at City of Palms Park).

Just a couple of quick notes prior to the game today against the Cardinals:

 - Nothing really new to report on Mike Lowell (thumb). He had the day off on Sunday and took live BP today. There’s no official timetable, but there was the hope he could see some game action by the end of the week. “I think he’d like to shoot for the end of the week to get into games,” Terry Francona said. “I’m not discouraging that. I just want to see him be OK. I don’t want to run him out there before he’s ready. Everybody gets anxious and I understand that. But we want to keep our eyes on him for this week and see how he’s doing.”

 - Daisuke Matsuzaka (back) seems to be feeling pretty good following his side session on Sunday. In an ideal world, he’d like to throw his next bullpen tomorrow. The logistics of the schedule may not allow that. The Redsox have a three-game swing on the East Coast beginning tomorrow. Pitching coach John Farrell is slated to go on the first day of the trip, so the Sox will likely try to delay Matsuzaka’s session until Wednesday so Farrell can be in attendance. “I think he’s chomping at the bit, which we’re glad [about],” Francona said. “But if we move it back one day, the rest will never hurt and John can be there for it, which is important.”

 – OF Zach Daeges‘ big-league camp experience is over before it really got the chance to get started. An non-roster invitee, Daeges hasn’t been able to play as he’s dealt with a lat injury. With it clear that he wouldn’t be ready to play in the next few days, the Red Sox informed Daeges that they were sending him over to the Minor League side so he could get more individualized attention for his injury. “It’s a shame. We kind of wanted to see him play and it’s obvious we’re not,” Francona said.