WHISPERS / PHIL ROGERS

Pedro Martinez still hopes to pitch this season, and the Chicago Cubs were among the teams watching him work out in the Dominican Republic. If he doesn’t pitch again, he will join Bob Caruthers and Al Spaulding as the only pitchers to win more than 200 and lose fewer than 100 games in their careers. He has a 214-99 record. . . . The Pittsburgh Pirates are trying to find a taker for pitcher Ian Snell. . . . The Milwaukee Brewers have to be at least a little worried about Trevor Hoffman, who was rocked by the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians after converting his first 15 save chances. He needed only 12.3 pitches per inning in his first 18 appearances but jumped to 22.1 for a three-outing stretch. . . . The Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez is having another one of those teasing stretches (3-0, 0.72 earned-run average, 34 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings) that makes you wonder if he could become the best pitcher in the majors. . . . Tampa Bay Rays Manager Joe Maddon has a good nickname for power-hitting utility man Ben Zobrist. He calls him “Zorilla.” Zobrist, who has 14 home runs, has started at six positions this year, including 21 games at second base. . . . The New York Mets’ Johan Santana had an 0.78 ERA in his first seven starts but was very mortal in the next six. He has been dealing with a sore back and blisters on his left hand and a toe, but insists there’s no need to think about the disabled list. . . . Don’t underrate the fun factor for helping the Rays recover from their slow start. Maddon ordered players to wear western gear for trips to Colorado and New York, and they responded with looks that reliever Joe Nelson termed “very Bonanza.” . . . Tony Gwynn Jr. had a .400-plus on-base percentage since the trade from the Brewers to the San Diego Padres. . . . Tim Wakefield needs three starts to pass Roger Clemens for the most in Red Sox history. He’s five victories short of Clemens’ Fenway Park record of 95.

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