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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Pedro Martinez felt comfortable in the
74-degree temperature and on the Kauffman Stadium mound Friday
night. As if he needs any extra help.
|  | | Pedro Martinez didn't get the shutout, but he threw 80 strikes and went to 6-0. |
The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out 12 and gave up
five singles in eight innings Friday night to lead the Boston Red
Sox to a 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
Martinez (6-0) didn't allow a runner past first base until two
outs in the eighth, when Luis Alicea walked and moved to third on
Carlos Beltran's single. But Martinez struck out Rey Sanchez to end
the inning.
"I was able to spot the ball a little bit better and get my
breaking ball over," the right-hander said. "It was good weather
to pitch in and a good baseball field to pitch in as well."
Martinez walked one in lowering his ERA to 1.52, as 80 of his
109 pitches were strikes. He said it was the best he's felt this
season.
"I had had a little inflamation and some discomfort in my back
and my shoulder, and a little in my legs," Martinez said of his
previous few starts. "There was no pain, just discomfort warming
up. Today I took it easy. I didn't want to rush it. I tried to spot
the ball well. When I felt confident enough, I just let it go."
Martinez stretched his road winning streak to seven games,
dating to August 8 last season, when he lost 2-1 at Anaheim.
"You can't pick patterns off of him," said Kansas City's Joe
Randa, who was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. "In one at-bat he'll
start you with a curve, one a fastball and one a changeup. He makes
you feel not lost, but you try to guess, and you can't guess
location. He's effective with all of his pitches."
Jason Varitek's three-run homer and Trot Nixon's solo shot
highlighted a five-run fourth inning that Boston wound up needing
because reliever Hipolito Pichardo allowed three runs -- two earned
-- in the ninth.
Martinez said he could have pitched the ninth, but he didn't
question manager Jimy Williams' decision to go to the bullpen.
"We're trying to play it careful and save some of the strength
for the end of the season," Martinez said. "Hopefully I won't
have to go on the disabled list like the last two years."
Kansas City's Blake Stein (1-4), making his first start since
April 27 after a stint in relief, gave up five runs -- four earned --
on six hits and three walks.
"I don't have to worry about hitting off Pedro, I have to worry
about pitching to their hitters," Stein said. "I can't worry
about what the other pitcher is going to do."
The Red Sox went ahead in the third with an unearned run. With
two out and Jose Offerman on first, Carl Everett hit a roller to
Alicea, whose throw to first pulled Mike Sweeney off first base.
Offerman came around to score on Manny Ramirez's single to left.
The next inning, Brian Daubach coaxed a one-out walk from Stein,
followed by Shea Hillenbrand's single. Varitek then hit a 425-foot
shot into the right-field bullpen to make it 4-0.
Nixon followed with a 345-foot homer just inside the foul pole,
and Stein's night was done. It was the third time this year that
the Red Sox had hit back-to-back home runs. Both previous occasions
it was Ramirez and Troy O'Leary who connected.
Reliever Cory Bailey came on and retired Offerman. But Everett
doubled down the right-field line, and Ramirez tripled past Dee
Brown in left.
Ramirez has 52 RBI through 41 games.
Game notes
After the game, the Red Sox optioned Lou Merloni to
Triple-A Pawtucket and reinstated Craig Grebeck from the 15-day
disabled list. ... Sweeney stretched his hitting streak to 11 games
with a leadoff single in the ninth. ... Kansas City's starting
catcher, A.J. Hinch, left the game after four innings with an
injury to his left hand. He took a foul tip off his left hand. He
was taken to a local hospital for X-rays, which were negative. ...
This marked the 75th time in his career and 48th as a Red Sox
pitcher that Martinez has reached double figures in strikeouts. It
was the sixth time in his nine starts this season.
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RECAPS
Baltimore 7
Minnesota 2
Detroit 18
Tampa Bay 2
Boston 6
Kansas City 3
Toronto 9
Texas 3
Cleveland 7
Anaheim 2
Oakland 3
Chi. White Sox 2
NY Yankees 14
Seattle 10
Arizona 4
Chicago Cubs 0
Florida 2
Colorado 1
Montreal 3
San Diego 1
Philadelphia 5
St. Louis 4
Milwaukee 0
Pittsburgh 0
NY Mets 8
Los Angeles 0
Atlanta 6
San Francisco 5
Cincinnati 7
Houston 4
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