Martinez Is Sidelined Indefinitely

Pedro Martinez could miss more than one start because of a sore pitching shoulder and might end up on the disabled list for the third consecutive season.

“Let’s just give him a few more days,� Boston Red Sox Manager Jimy Williams said Wednesday, when asked if baseball’s best pitcher would go on the disabled list.

Martinez will miss his scheduled start Friday night at Atlanta. The Red Sox had Monday off, so Williams could stick with his regular starters and move each pitcher up a day.

Martinez refused comment, as he has since pitching eight innings in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Philadelphia. He felt “a little better� after throwing softly for 10 minutes before Tuesday’s win over Florida, Williams said.

Major league owners spent considerable time Wednesday on a familiar topic--the ever-growing disparity in revenues--but there was no talk of eliminating franchises.

There have been rumblings for months that some stronger franchises favor getting rid of some low-drawing teams, such as the Montreal Expos and and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, to lessen the disparity in talent and reduce the large revenue-sharing payments made by big-market teams.

Baseball thinks it doesn’t need the approval of the players’ association to cut teams, but even a hint of such a move could dramatically impact the tone and tenor of labor talks on a contract to replace the one that expires Oct. 31.

Managers Lou Piniella of the Seattle Mariners, Tony Muser of the Kansas City Royals, Dusty Baker of the San Francisco Giants and Bruce Bochy of the San Diego Padres were appointed coaches for the All-Star game on July 10 at Seattle.

The 2004 All-Star game has been awarded to Houston, the third time the Astros will play host to it since joining the National League in 1962.

The All-Star game was played at the Astrodome in 1968 and 1986. The 2004 game will be played in Enron Field, keeping a promise Commissioner Bud Selig made while lobbying for the new Astros’ ballpark.

New York Yankee right-hander Orlando Hernandez will undergo surgery on the second toe of his left foot and will be out for an indefinite period. . . . Ken Griffey Jr. showed “significant progress� in his recovery from a hamstring injury when he worked out with the Cincinnati Reds’ Class-A Dayton affiliate. . . . Shortstop Barry Larkin could be back in the Reds’ lineup as early as Friday if he gets a doctor’s OK. Larkin has been out since May 18 because of a strained right groin. . . . St. Louis outfielder Jim Edmonds was sent home because of a sprained right shoulder. Edmonds left the Cardinal game against Kansas City in the eighth inning Tuesday night. . . . The Colorado Rockies put left-hander Denny Neagle on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right hamstring. . . . The Texas Rangers agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher C.J. Wilson of Loyola Marymount, their fifth-round pick in last week’s draft. . . . The Detroit Tigers agreed to a contract with Rice pitcher Kenny Baugh, the team’s first-round pick. . . . Tampa Bay outfielder Jose Guillen, who was on a rehab assignment with triple-A Durham, was thrown out of a game against Louisville for using a corked bat.