White Sox Are No Match for Martinez

Pedro Martinez’s health is fine, and so is his pitching.

All he did Sunday in the Red Sox’s 1-0 victory at Boston, besides shutting out the Chicago White Sox, was strike out 15, give up only six hits, walk none and allow only three runners reach second base.

The last one to reach second was Magglio Ordonez, whose grounder to shortstop Nomar Garciaparra turned into a bad-hop double in the ninth.

Martinez turned to his fastball and struck out Carlos Lee on his 131st pitch for his fourth complete game and third shutout of the season.

“That shows how good he is, to sit back and stay in control after that fluke play,” said Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who drove in the game’s lone run. “He seizes the moment; the moment doesn’t seize him.”

Martinez (11-3) won his second start in a row after a stretch in which he was winless in four consecutive starts and didn’t pitch in the All-Star game because of a strained side muscle that put him on the disabled list.

Sunday, he silenced the bats of a team that had been averaging 6.2 runs a game and has baseball’s best record (61-37).

“For me, that’s as good as it gets, pitching-wise,” Red Sox Manager Jimy Williams said. “I think he finished with a few of his best fastballs of the day.”

Chicago starter Mike Sirotka (9-8) got his first complete game of the year, but it was otherwise a frustrating day for the White Sox.

After Ray Durham took a third strike in the eighth inning, Manager Jerry Manuel was ejected for questioning the call. Then coach Von Joshua was thrown out after he spread a towel on the top step of the dugout, indicating his view of the size of the strike zone that umpire Brian O’Nora was giving Martinez.

The only run Sirotka allowed was unearned. Shortstop Jose Valentin fielded Izzy Alcantara’s grounder in the fourth and threw it in the dugout for an error. Varitek then singled in the game’s only run.

New York 5, Tampa Bay 1--Dennis Neagle, in his second start with the Yankees, pitched a four-hitter at New York for his 100th career victory.

The left-hander struck out eight and walked one, and got a standing ovation after getting Jose Canseco to foul out to catcher Jorge Posada to end the game.

Neagle won his fifth consecutive start, including his final three with the Cincinnati Reds before being traded to the Yankees on July 12.

The complete game was his first since Aug. 16, 1998, at Dodger Stadium when he was with Atlanta. He is 10-2 overall this season and has won 16 of his last 18 decisions since Aug. 30, 1999.

Texas 3, Seattle 2--Rafael Palmeiro ended an 0-for-18 slump with an RBI single in the eighth inning that gave the Rangers the victory at Seattle.

The Rangers, who gave up 25 runs in the first two games of their first series at Safeco Field, ended a losing streak at four games against the Mariners this season.

Rick Helling (11-7) won his fourth consecutive decision after losing six in a row. John Wetteland pitched the ninth for his 25th save in 30 chances.

Toronto 4, Baltimore 1--Frank Castillo, who hadn’t pitched since July 9 because of elbow tendinitis, limited the Orioles to one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings at Toronto.

Castillo (7-5) won his sixth consecutive decision. The 31-year-old right-hander has allowed two earned runs or less in nine of his 18 starts.

Cleveland 8, Minnesota 3--Travis Fryman and Omar Vizquel hit homers at Minneapolis as the Indians ended a losing streak at four.

The game marked the return of Tom Kelly, the Twins’ manager who had been in Florida since the All-Star break tending to his ailing father. Ron Gardenhire, the team’s third base coach, served as interim manager and had a 6-4 record.

Detroit 12, Kansas City 9--Bobby Higginson’s two-run homer capped a six-run seventh inning that helped the Tigers rally from six runs down at Detroit.