01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, September 27, 2003

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The start of the Division Series is just days away, so the Red Sox yesterday took a step forward, clarifying their pitching rotation for the first round of the postseason.

Pedro Martinez will start Game 1.

After that, it's anybody's guess.

The Sox are considering a number of options, including one that would have Martinez and Derek Lowe start four of the five possible games against the Oakland A's.

"There are several possibilities," said manager Grady Little. "That's one . . . (But) it's far from being a reality."

Either way, the Sox appear to be in no hurry to set their plans.

"There's a possibility we may not announce our Game 2 starter until after the first game (Wednesday)," Little said.

Under that scenario, the Sox would wait and see how many pitches Martinez has to throw in his Game 1 start before determining whether he could start Game 4 on just three days' rest.

"We'll see how that first game goes," said Little. "(The number of pitches) could be a big factor."

Should the Sox bring Martinez back for Game 4 and Lowe for Game 5, they would avoid having to use a No. 4 starter. John Burkett and Jeff Suppan are in contention for the slot.

The mere fact that the Sox are entertaining the idea of bringing back Martinez on just three days' rest is a radical departure for an organization that has gone to great lengths to guard against his over-use. Since the 1998 season, his first with the Sox, Martinez has never pitched on fewer than four days' rest -- in the regular season or the postseason.

To the contrary, the Sox have carefully orchestrated things at times to give Martinez more -- not less -- recovery time. At times, he has made nearly as many starts with the benefit of five days' rest in between outings as he has with four days' rest.

Trailing the Cleveland Indians, 2-to-1, in the 1998 ALDS, manager Jimy Williams steadfastly resisted pressure -- from the pitcher himself, among others -- to go with Martinez in a potential elimination game. Starter Pete Schourek held the Indians scoreless for 5 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits, but the Sox lost the game, 2-1 -- and the series -- when the bullpen faltered in the eighth inning.

Little said yesterday that the outcome of Wednesday's Game 1 wouldn't enter into the decision-making. But if the Sox trail, 2-to-1, there may be a great temptation to go with Martinez on short rest to try to save the season.

As to why such a plan might even be considered, Little said: "I see a guy who's as healthy as he's ever been."

Martinez has had a heavy workload of late and has responded well. In his last three starts before last night's abbreviated outing, Martinez had thrown 353 pitches and allowed only two earned runs in 24 innings.

Little has said several times this month that the Sox have monitored Martinez all season with an eye toward allowing him to pitch deeper into games, a strategy designed in part to expose the beleaguered Boston bullpen as little as possible.

But with a $17.5-million option already in place for next season, would ownership approve of such a risky move? Then there's the recent history of starters going on three days' rest in the postseason, little of which is good.

Arizona's Curt Schiling started three games in the 2001 World Series, won by the Diamondbacks, but others haven't fared nearly as well, including the late Darryl Kile in the 2000 NLCS.

The debate may be moot, suggested one baseball official yesterday, who noted that the Oakland A's, the Sox' first-round opponent, are notorious for their patient approach at the plate, which in turn would drive Martinez's pitch count higher.

The only time Martinez faced the A's this season, he needed 101 pitches to complete five innings in a 4-0 defeat. Tellingly, that came in the immediate aftermath of one of his three complete games -- a 128-pitch effort against Anaheim five days previous.

In the end, suggested a Sox source, the decision might be made for them.

"If Pedro wants to pitch (Game 4)," the source said, "he will. It's as simple as that."