BOSTON (AP) -- For two days, the rain did what few teams have accomplished: stop Pedro Martinez.

Baseball's best pitcher didn't even show up Friday at Fenway Park, where the forecast was so soggy that Boston's night game against the Cleveland Indians was postponed three hours before it was to begin.

Martinez also was rained out of his scheduled start in Detroit on Thursday. And predictions of more rain Saturday could keep him off the mound again, even though the Red Sox moved the starting time to 3:05 p.m. ET from 1:05, hoping the weather would improve.

A fierce competitor, Martinez must be aching to pitch, especially since the last time he faced Cleveland he threw six no-hit innings in Boston's decisive Game 5 victory in the playoffs.

"I'm sure he is, but we're all going through that," Nomar Garciaparra said. "We all want to be out there and play."

The Red Sox are coming off consecutive shutout wins at Detroit, 7-0 and 10-0, and have allowed just one run in the last five days -- a 1-0 loss to Oakland last Monday.

They're 8-2 in their last 10 games, outscoring their opponents 71-32. But Cleveland is 7-2 on the road this season.

Martinez, 3-0, leads the American League with a 1.27 ERA and 32 strikeouts. Cleveland's Chuck Finley, second with 25 strikeouts, is scheduled to face him Saturday rather than Bobby Witt, who would have pitched Friday. Charles Nagy is set to pitch Sunday.

Friday's game will be played during Cleveland's next visit to Boston, scheduled for Sept. 19-21.

Martinez isn't the only Boston player on a roll.

Garciaparra is 16-for-35 in his last nine games and is batting .339. Trot Nixon, hitting .346, is 7-for-13 in his last three games and went 4-for-5 with his first career grand slam and five RBI Wednesday against the Tigers. Pete Schourek allowed just six hits and a walk while striking out four in seven innings of Tuesday's 7-0 victory.

If the rotation stays intact -- manager Jimy Williams didn't say if it would be shuffled because of the postponements -- Schourek would have six days' rest before his next start Tuesday night in Texas.

"When you're pitching well, you want to get out there as soon as you can," Schourek said. "Later on in the year you might see one of these as a blessing to get a little extra rest after a certain amount of innings, but this early on in the year you want to get out there and throw as much as you can."

The Red Sox had as many rainouts all last season as they've had the past two days. Friday's washout was their first at home since the 1998 season.

"You don't want to see the rain when you do get in a groove," Nixon said. "If you're in the minor leagues, you like them because you don't get many off days in the minor leagues. But when you're up here you want to play."

He tried to keep sharp Friday by hitting in the batting cage under the center field bleachers. Then he returned to a quiet clubhouse to lift weights.

Fewer than half the players were inside, some watching a replay of the 1977 NBA game in which the Portland Trail Blazers won the championship. Excitement may grow with the start of the basketball playoffs again Saturday.

But boredom seemed to be creeping into the Red Sox clubhouse less than three weeks into the baseball season.

"Not at all," Garciaparra said. "You kidding me? It's too early to be bored."