Martinez Is Fast Enough To End Game

Apparently the nightmare got to Jim Leyland.

The Detroit manager was tempted to use pitcher Rick Porcello as a pinch runner late last week for slow-footed Victor Martinez, but he decided against it. Leyland said the scenario of having Porcello on the basepaths was too scary.

The situation came up again Monday in the 10th inning of Detroit's 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay in the makeup of a May 25 rained-out game.

Martinez singled with one out in the 10th, but Leyland never gave a second thought to using Porcello. He had spare outfielder Andy Dirks on the bench but didn't want to use him, having thinned his bench to one player in the eighth when he inserted Ramon Santiago and Casper Wells in what turned out to be a vain attempt to protect a 1-0 lead. Danny Worth had pinch-hit and stayed in the game in the sixth.

Santiago took Leyland off the hook, though, with a line triple to right-center that let even the slow Martinez score from first and end the game.

"Somebody get Victor some oxygen while they were at it? He looked like he was going to pass out when he got up here," said left-hander Phil Coke, who threw 6 1/3 shutout innings but didn't get a decision.

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