As he struggled to pitch through the uncertainty of his first three starts of the season, Pedro Martinez could take solace in the fact that the rest of the starting rotation was shouldering the load for him.
Last night, battling a week-long head cold and sinus infection, Martinez labored through five innings, allowing more runs than he did in his previous two starts combined. But this time, it was the Red Sox offense which more than picked up the slack.
Backed by a 16-hit outburst and a lineup which scored in five innings, Martinez had a relatively easy time as the Sox dusted the Baltimore Orioles, 15-3, but he struggled to complete the five innings necessary to qualify for his fourth win without a loss.
"I wasn't feeling all that well," said Martinez, who yielded three runs on six hits, every one of them for extra bases. "I had a hard time getting anything going for me. I didn't feel all that strong. . . . (But) pitchers are not going to be forced as much as we were before because our offense is going to take the game on their shoulders. And that's what happened tonight. I didn't have much, just go out there and battle for five innings, and I end up getting the win, even though all the credit should go to my teammates, because they scored all the runs."
The 15 runs were the most for the Sox since they scored 16 against the Toronto Blue Jays last July 2, and their most at Fenway since the 17 runs against Chicago on June 26, 1999. Seven of the nine Red Sox starters had at least one hit. Only Shea Hillenbrand and Jason Varitek were hitless. The 16 hits matched a season high for the club, and lifted the team batting average to .303, best in the American League.
Four of the hits left the ballpark, two of them belted by Manny Ramirez who knocked in five runs. The second, third, fourth and fifth hitters in the order accounted for 13 RBI.
The Sox staked Martinez to a quick 3-0 lead, and after the Orioles answered with two in the top of the second, the Sox continued to pile on with two more in the third, all against starter Sean Douglass.
When the Orioles summoned Josh Towers in the fourth, the Sox kept pounding, adding four that inning, another solo run in the sixth and five more in the eighth.
"The offense has been outstanding," agreed manager Grady Little. "It's been steady all year. No matter who we've put out there, they've been pretty good. We've been putting a lot of runs on the board. That makes pitching easier."
First baseman Tony Clark sat out last night, replaced at first by Jose Offerman, who pounded out four hits, scored four runs and knocked in two more.
Brian Daubach, getting a start at DH, had two hits and three RBI. His eighth-inning homer over the visitor's bullpen closed out the scoring.
"It seems like every day, someone else is hitting," said Trot Nixon who also chipped in with an eighth-inning homer. "Offerman is swinging the bat real well now. The top of the lineup is doing so much, and that sets the tone for the game."
Said Martinez: "It's scary, if you're the opposition, to see Manny and Nomar, back-to-back. Then you see Hillenbrand, Offerman . . . Everybody is adding to the pile. It's fun for us."
Johnny Damon said, "Everybody here thinks they can make a difference in the game. We're all working hard. We're here so dang early hitting and (hitting instructor) Dwight Evans is working his tail off. The funny thing is, Nomar (Garciaparra) hasn't even gotten hot yet."
Garciaparra is at least revving up, however. Over his 15-game hitting streak, the shortstop has raised his average to 70 points. He's hitting .404 with men on base.
The outburst was more than enough backing for Martinez, who, in the past, has had to deal with lackluster support.
"(The offense) steps up and understands what their role is," Martinez said. "They are picking me up and I'm glad they're doing it, because there will be times when I will have to step up for them."
Lifted after five innings, Martinez also had the support of the bullpen, as Rolando Arrojo (two innings), Casey Fossum and Rich Garces (an inning each) pitched four innings of scoreless relief.
