Martinez Loses Temper, Then He Loses Game

Pedro Martinez pitched a pretty good fit in the Red Sox clubhouse. But Tim Hudson pitched an even better ballgame.

Hours after throwing a tantrum at General Manager Dan Duquette, Martinez struck out 11 batters in seven innings. But he couldn’t match Hudson, who gave up four hits in eight innings to lead the Oakland Athletics over the Boston Red Sox, 6-2, Thursday night at Fenway Park.

“I always like pitching in big games. You want to turn it up a notch,” said Hudson (8-1). “I knew I had to match Pedro pitch for pitch.”

The win pulled Oakland within one game of Boston in the AL wild-card race.

Martinez (17-4) was scratched from his previous start after he arrived about 30 minutes before the game, breaking a team rule that requires players to be at the ballpark two hours early.

Before Thursday’s game, Martinez unleashed a tantrum at Duquette in the Boston clubhouse in front of several reporters. “Are you here to see if I’m here two hours before the game?” the pitcher reportedly yelled. “Well I am, OK?”

In the game, Martinez gave up three runs and seven hits and walked none. Afterward, he joked around and insisted he was not angry at Duquette or Manager Jimy Williams for Saturday’s scratch.

“Jimy just made a statement. He said, ‘If Pedro’s not allowed to do it, nobody else is.’ That’s not just to me, that’s to the whole team,” Martinez said.

Later Martinez admitted he was angry, but only because cameras were waiting to record his arrival.

Cleveland 8, Texas 0--Steve Karsay pitched five shutout innings to win his 10th straight decision at Cleveland as the Indians halted the Rangers’ four-game winning streak.

Karsay (10-1) gave up four hits and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, then gave up only two hits and one walk over the next four innings.

Steve Reed, Paul Shuey and Mike Jackson completed Cleveland’s fourth shutout this season.

Kansas City 4, New York 1--Jason Grimsley walked in the winning run in the 11th inning as the Royals once again took advantage of an error by Derek Jeter at New York.

Jeter’s throwing error in the eighth inning Wednesday night allowed the Royals to break a scoreless tie.

Thursday, Johnny Damon led off the 11th with a single. After a sacrifice, Grimsley intentionally walked Carlos Beltran. The Royals loaded the bases when Jeter couldn’t handle Mike Sweeney’s grounder in the hole at shortstop.

Grimsley walked Jermaine Dye on four pitches, forcing in the go-ahead run. The Royals added two more runs in the inning.

Baltimore 9, Minnesota 3--Delino DeShields hit a three-run homer and Jason Johnson gave up five hits in seven innings as the Orioles completed a three-game sweep at Baltimore.