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GAME LOG
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Pedro Martinez, who didn't feel exactly right after not starting for 10 days, was still good enough to dominate the Texas Rangers.
|  | | Pedro Martinez was brilliant despite not pitching in 10 days. |
Martinez scattered five hits in seven innings in his first start since April 15 as the Red Sox beat Texas 6-3 Tuesday night, giving the Cy Young winner his 12th straight victory.
"I didn't feel like I would like to. I battled my way around to
get the team to win the game," Martinez said. "I felt exhausted
in the third inning. When I kept pitching, I felt better."
Martinez (4-0) is undefeated since last Aug. 19, when he lost to
Oakland and Tim Hudson. In his last start, Martinez beat Hudson and the Athletics to extend his winning streak that includes two wins during the 1999 postseason.
"Anybody would love it, especially if it's winning," Martinez
said of the streak. "But it's nothing. We just have to keep
winning as much as we can as a team and forget about the individual
achievement."
Even though he didn't feel right and hadn't been on the mound in
more than a week because of rainouts, Martinez struck out eight and
threw 68 of his 103 pitches for strikes. He took the AL lead in
strikeouts from Cleveland's Chuck Finley (40-35) while walking just
one and hitting a batter.
Texas managed two runs without getting the ball out of the
infield in the second, and got their only other run on Ruben
Mateo's solo homer in the sixth. Derek Lowe got the last six outs
for his fourth save.
Martinez was scheduled to start last Thursday against Detroit,
but that was the first of four straight Boston games that were
rained out. He threw some off the mound Sunday after a game against
Cleveland was washed out.
"He had nine days off, that was enough," Boston manager Jimy
Williams said. "He pitched good, he didn't try to overthrow. He
had a good throwing session Sunday to get physically and mentally
ready to come back to the mound to pitch."
Until Luis Alicea's misplay of a possible inning-ending double
play grounder in the sixth, Martinez was involved in a pitchers'
duel with Rick Helling (2-1).
Texas led 2-1 before Boston scored four unearned runs after Troy
O'Leary's grounder ricocheted over Alicea's glove and into right
field. The Red Sox tied the game on that play, and after a popout,
Jason Varitek hit a two-run single and Manny Alexander followed
with an RBI single to make it 5-2.
"We opened the door for them. Against Pedro Martinez, you have to play your best. You can't give them any breaks, and we did," Texas first baseman Rafael Palmeiro said. "Rick Helling deserved
to win this game."
Helling (2-1) gave up six runs in 6 2/3 innings, but only two of
them were earned -- Jose Offerman's homer to lead off the game and Carl Everett's RBI double after Helling was relieved by Mike Venafro.
"I felt in complete control all night, but things unraveled in
the sixth," said Helling, who struck out five and walked four in
his longest outing this season.
In the Texas second, Palmeiro and David Segui led off with consecutive infield singles, both balls that shortstop Nomar Garciaparra stabbed backhanded without being able to complete the
plays.
Palmeiro and Segui advanced on a groundout and then both scored
on Gabe Kapler's grounder. Offerman's relay from second base broke
the web of first baseman Mike Stanley's glove.
Mateo's second homer of the season closed the Rangers to 5-3.
After Offerman's leadoff homer, Boston didn't get another hit
until O'Leary's two-out double in the fourth. The Red Sox didn't
score again until the sixth.
Game notes
Offerman led off the game with a home run for the fourth
time. He had a leadoff homer in his first career at-bat, in 1990
when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. ... Helling allowed a
major league high 41 homers in 1999, but has given up just two in
31 innings this season. ... Garciaparra had two hits to extend his
hitting streak to 12 games, and is now 22-of-43 against the Rangers
since the beginning of 1999. ... Alicea extended his hitting streak
to 10 games, one short of his career-best 11-game streak in 1992.
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