Red Sox Not Exactly Feeling Grand

Rico Brogna gave the Boston Red Sox an exciting ending, but the emotion was tempered somewhat by what happened to pitcher Pedro Martinez shortly after the beginning of a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Monday night.

Brogna hit a ninth-inning grand slam to give the Red Sox a 7-3 victory, rescuing Boston after Martinez, the American League Cy Young Award winner, left after four innings because of shoulder stiffness.

“Obviously, he’s the man here. So everybody’s a little concerned,” said Brogna, who joined the Red Sox early this month. “If the team’s going to go where we want to go, he’s got to be healthy.”

Martinez struck out the side in the first inning and struck out two more in the second. But in the third, he gave up Miguel Cairo’s first home run since July 20, 1999--a three-run shot that gave the Devil Rays a 3-0 lead.

Martinez gave up six hits, walked none and struck out six before Hipolito Pichardo came on to start the fifth. It was his worst outing in more than a year.

“When a guy makes his money throwing 95 mph fastballs, you know he’s hurting when he’s throwing you nothing but changeups,” Devil Ray first baseman Fred McGriff said.

Martinez was not available after the game. But a Red Sox spokesman relayed comments in which he said he took himself out as a precaution, rather than risk exacerbating the problem and winding up on the disabled list for the second time this season.

“It just didn’t feel right,” he said. “I didn’t want to chance it.”

The Red Sox tied the score with three runs in the sixth inning, then won it in the ninth.

Billy Taylor (1-2) hit No. 9-hitter Darren Lewis leading off the home half of the ninth. Lewis stole second and took third on Trot Nixon’s fly out, then Taylor intentionally walked Carl Everett and Nomar Garciaparra to load the bases.

Brogna, a New England native, worked the count to 2-2 and then lined the final pitch into the bullpen in right field. It was his first home run since coming to the Red Sox after being claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies.

The sold-out crowd, which sat through a game-long drizzle, chanted Brogna’s name until he came out of the dugout for a curtain call.

“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions,” said Brogna, who lost his starting job at first base with the Phillies after breaking his forearm. “A night like this makes it all worthwhile.”

Derek Lowe (3-4) earned the victory with one inning of scoreless relief.