Martinez Strikes Out 12 in 2-0 Win Over Mariners

Pedro Martinez gave up three hits in eight innings and struck out 12 Tuesday night to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Seattle.

Martinez (3-0) walked four, improving to 8-0 with a 0.89 earned-run average in eight appearances against Seattle. He reached double digits in strikeouts for the fourth time this season and the 73rd time in his career.

Rolando Arrojo pitched a perfect ninth inning for his fourth save in four chances.

After a 20-4 start, the Mariners have lost consecutive games for the first time this season. They were shut out for the first time since Steve Sparks of the Detroit Tigers did it Aug. 15.

Seattle, scoreless in its last 15 innings, had been 16-0 in games started by right-handed opposing pitchers. The Mariners’ only hits were singles by Ichiro Suzuki in the third, John Olerud in the fourth and Mark McLemore in the eighth.

Suzuki’s hit was a nubber that got over Martinez’s head and then dropped to the grass in front of shortstop Craig Grebeck.

Seattle loaded the bases in the fourth when Martinez walked Edgar Martinez and Al Martin around Olerud’s single.

But Edgar Martinez was thrown out at the plate on Tom Lampkin’s fielder’s-choice grounder to Olerud at first, and David Bell struck out swinging on a 98 mph fastball on a 3-and-2 pitch.

Cleveland 13, Kansas City 2--Marty Cordova hit a 455-foot homer, one of five home runs by the Indians at Kansas City, Mo.

Juan Gonzalez, Eddie Taubensee and Cordova each homered and drove in three runs, and Ellis Burks and Russell Branyan also connected. Gonzalez, who hit a two-run drive against Blake Stein in a six-run seventh, has 29 runs batted in in 24 games.

The Indians, who set a season high for runs, hit all their homers with two outs.

In the ninth inning, a young man fell onto the field from the right-field bleachers.

The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was on the ground several minutes before getting up on wobbly feet. He was led away by security.

Detroit 6, Texas 3--Deivi Cruz hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning as the Tigers overcame two home runs by Alex Rodriguez at Arlington, Texas.

Cruz’s two-out homer against Jeff Zimmerman (1-2) followed Bobby Higginson’s one-out double and Tony Clark’s walk.

Rodriguez homered against Sparks leading off the sixth and against Danny Patterson (2-0) starting the eighth, his second multihomer game this season and the 16th of his career.

New York 4, Minnesota 0--Mike Mussina pitched his first shutout for the Yankees, dominating the Twins at Minneapolis.

Mussina (2-3) pitched a three-hitter for his first victory in five starts and his 16th shutout. His last also came against the Twins--a one-hitter Aug. 1--as Mussina improved to 17-2 against the Twins.

Toronto 5, Oakland 4--Alex Gonzalez homered on the first pitch of the 10th inning at Oakland as the Blue Jays extended the A’s home losing streak to eight games.

Gonzalez struck out in his first four at-bats against A’s starter Cory Lidle and reliever Jim Mecir. In the 10th, he put a chest-high fastball from Jason Isringhausen over the fence in left.

Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 1--Jerry Hairston hit a two-run homer and three Oriole pitchers combined on a four-hitter at Baltimore.