TORONTO -- Every staff seems to have a hard-luck pitcher.
On the Sox this year, that undesired tag has fallen on Frank Castillo.
After getting saddled with the 4-1 loss yesterday, Castillo's record fell to 5-10. Yesterday he surrendered only two runs through seven innings, but the bullpen did him no favors in tacking on another run to his final pitching line.
"Frankie was outstanding," said manager Grady Little
of Castillo, who gave up 10 hits in 71/3 innings. "There have been a lot of games where he's pitched plenty well enough to win, but we didn't get him any runs."
Indeed, the numbers back up Little.
The Red Sox' offense has produced two runs or less in 13 of Castillo's 18 starts while he has been in the game.
"It's tough," admitted Castillo, who is 1-5 in his last six decisions. "But you can't worry about the numbers. You just block it out. I've been through this before. I've had some ugly records. You just have to keep plugging away."
This is the fifth time in his career, dating back to 1991, that Castillo has suffered at least 10 losses. The last time was in 1997, when he was a combined 12-12 for the Cubs and the Rockies.
Martinez on mound today
Pedro Martinez
will make his first post All-Star break start today in the series finale. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is not expected to go terribly deep into the game, said Little, who is eyeing the right-hander's next start, Friday night in Yankee Stadium in the opener of a three-game series with New York.
"He'll be restricted a bit [today]. Hopefully the game will dictate that he can go five or six innings and that's it," said Little. "It has been a long time since he has pitched [July 6]. We want to make sure he's at the very top of his game when he pitches in New York."
But then again, said Little, the Sox' plan for Martinez hasn't changed much, even though he is 11-2 with a 2.72 earned-run average in bouncing back from last year's shoulder woes.
"We'll monitor Pedro throughout the whole season," said Little. "It's working well so far, so we'll keep on the same train of thinking."
Martinez will be trying to win a fifth consecutive start, something he hasn't done since going 5-0 in April, 2000.
Damon gets a day of rest
Slumping Johnny Damon
was given yesterday off, continuing Little's plan to give the Sox' All-Stars a day off in this series because they had no rest when the others were on their break. Today it will be Nomar Garciaparra
's turn to get a day off. Manny Ramirez
served as the designated hitter.
Damon, though, has been in a tailspin for a while. Over his last 30 games, including a groundout in a pinch-hitting role yesterday, Damon is batting a mere .205 (23-for-112), dropping his batting from .348 to .301, the lowest it has been since April 17, when he was .288. The center fielder had played in 84 of the Sox' 88 games.
Rey Sanchez,
meanwhile, also had yesterday off. Little doesn't want to over-extend Sanchez, who just came off the disabled list (right hamstring). Sanchez, who started the first two games of the series at second base, is likely to start in place of Garciaparra at shortstop today with either Bryant Nelson,
who played second yesterday, or Lou Merloni
starting at second today.
Sanchez drilled an RBI single as a pinch-hitter in the ninth.
3 hits for Hillenbrand
All-Star third baseman Shea Hillenbrand,
who had been rested Friday night, returned with a vengeance. Hillenbrand went 3-for-4, raising his average to .305. He also swiped his fourth base of the year in five attempts. . . . Trot Nixon,
who is only 1-for-14 with the bases-loaded this year, is batting a miserable .204 (11-for-54) with the sacks filled in his career. . . . Alan Embree
gave up his first run since joining the Sox, in his ninth appearance. And he lost a battle with Jays' slugger Carlos Delgado
for the first time this year. Delgado ripped the first pitch he saw for an RBI double in the eighth. In Boston, Embree retired Delgado all four times he faced him, including strikeouts when he saved both ends of the day-night doubleheader on July 2. . . . The Baseball gods are evening out the Sox' road record. Boston, which roared out to a 21-4 record away from home, is only 8-10 in its last 18 games on the road.
Toronto's Cruz leaves early
Toronto right fielder Jose Cruz Jr.
had to leave the game after suffering an injury to his left hamstring while running the bases in the third. Cruz drilled a two-out base hit to right with Eric Hinske
on second base, and on the throw to the plate, which was very wide, Cruz tried to take second base.
But a few steps from the bag, he appeared to be indecisive as to whether to dive, stand up or slide, and his left leg gave out. Cruz eventually did slide, but was tagged out by Garciaparra, who took the throw from catcher Doug Mirabelli.
Ceremony honors Williams
The Red Sox sold 7,000 tickets yesterday by 5 p.m. for the ceremony to honor Ted Williams
at Fenway Park on July 22. Season-ticket holders still have three days to inform the team if they'll be attending.
Throwback uniforms in play
The Sox were wearing replicas of uniforms worn by the Boston Royal Giants in the 1948 season in the Negro Leagues. Boston resident Tracy McDaniel
had a Giants' uniform from his grandfather, Herbert "Chink" Holmes,
and donated it to the Negro Leagues Museum. Yesterday's uniforms were patterned after the original one. The Blue Jays uniforms were replicas of those worn by the Chatham (Ontario) Stars.
Sox employees wed
Congratulations to Kerri Walsh,
the Sox' communications and credentials coordinator, and Tom Moore,
the organization's assistant scouting director, who were married yesterday in Stoneham, Mass.
