Martinez Is Hardly Himself in Latest Loss

The New York Yankees have just about ended Boston’s season. The only question left for the Red Sox is whether Pedro Martinez is done for the year too.

Martinez’s comeback from a sore right shoulder stalled Friday night when he left after three innings at New York and the Yankees defeated the Red Sox for the fifth consecutive time, 3-2.

“You could tell he was not 100%,” Boston catcher Scott Hatteberg said. “His velocity is not there. He’s not the Pedro we know.”

Martinez is winless in seven consecutive starts for the first time since the first seven of his major league career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Red Sox must now decide when--or if--he will get the chance to break that streak this season.

With Boston 11 games behind New York in the AL East, there seems little reason to risk the most important right arm in New England anymore.

“We’re going to talk to him tomorrow,” Manager Joe Kerrigan said. “I’m not going to make a decision five or 10 minutes after the game.”

Martinez didn’t talk after the game, leaving Yankee Stadium shortly after he was relieved. He did issue a statement that was read by team spokesman Kevin Shea.

“My arm got heavy after throwing all those pitches in the second inning, so I didn’t want to run the chance of hurting my arm anymore,” he said.

Martinez (7-3) was unable to win against the Yankees once again. He gave up three runs in a 33-pitch second inning--more than he gave up in 13 of his first 17 starts this year--before leaving after a scoreless third inning.

Seattle 10, Baltimore 1--Bret Boone set an AL record for home runs by a second baseman, Paul Abbott pitched two-hit ball for eight innings and the Mariners defeated the Orioles at Seattle.

Boone put the Mariners ahead 6-0 with a two-run homer, his 34th overall, in the third. His 33rd home run while playing second base broke the mark of 32 set by Joe Gordon for Cleveland in 1948.

Ichiro Suzuki went three for five to raise his AL-leading batting average two points to .351. He tied Alex Rodriguez’s franchise record of 215 hits set with the Mariners in 1996.

Oakland 9, Tampa Bay 3--Eric Chavez, Johnny Damon and Greg Myers hit two-run homers and the Athletics extended their AL wild-card lead to 11 games with a victory at Oakland.

The victory, coupled with Boston’s loss at New York and Minnesota’s defeat against the Angels, increased the A’s margin over both the Red Sox and Twins. Oakland’s magic number for clinching a playoff spot is 12.

Chicago 10, Cleveland 7--Ray Durham matched career highs with four hits and four RBIs as the White Sox won the opener of a four-game series at Cleveland. The White Sox trail the first-place Indians by seven games in the AL Central with 21 games remaining.

Rookie Rocky Biddle (7-8), a former Temple City High and Long Beach State standout, defeated the Indians for the second time in a week, giving up two runs and four hits in six innings.

Texas 8, Kansas City 2--Alex Rodriguez broke his own AL record for homers by a shortstop with his career-best 43rd--and 10th in his last 22 games--in the victory at Arlington, Texas.

Rodriguez, who set the previous mark for shortstops with Seattle in 1998 and matched it the following year, is four short of Ernie Banks’ major league mark.

Toronto 2, Detroit 1--Carlos Delgado drove in two runs, including a tiebreaking single in the eighth at Detroit.