Martinez, BoSox Beat Tribe

Pedro Martinez could write the "How To Beat the Indians" manual by himself. Yet, the Boston ace admits needing help shutting down baseball's top hitting club.

"Have God by you side," he said. "Have your stuff working. Have your focus working. Have everything working for you."

And have Nomar Garciaparra.

Garciaparra's three-run home run in the eighth inning -- his third homer in two games -- gave Martinez his major league-leading 10th win and sent the Boston Red Sox to a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Indians.

Martinez, who showed up at Jacobs Field on Friday thinking he was Boston's starter only to be told he'd have to wait until Saturday to pitch, limited the Indians to five hits in eight-plus innings.

"Good thing he didn't think it was a 7 o'clock game," Garciaparra joked.

Tom Gordon struggled to convert his major league-record 52nd consecutive save, walking three batters in the ninth before striking out Travis Fryman with the tying runs on base for his ninth save.

Garciaparra, who had grounded out in his previous three at-bats, connected on a 2-2 pitch from reliever Paul Shuey, who nearly struck out the Boston shortstop with his previous pitch.

But after fouling off one 2-2 pitch to the backstop, Garciaparra drove Shuey's next pitch 409 feet into the left-field stands for his ninth homer this season, and seventh in May.

"I got a pitch that was up, I think it was a splitter," said Garciaparra, "and I was just able to put some wood on it."

Martinez (10-1), now 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA in his career against the Indians, retired 23 of the final 26 batters he faced to become the majors first pitcher in double-digit wns this season. He struck out nine and walked none.

"I don't like to talk about my numbers, 10 wins is 10 wins," Martinez said. "I'm just trying to stay focused."

Martinez left after giving up a single to Kenny Lofton. Gordon came in and walked Omar Vizquel. After a double steal, Roberto Alomar walked to load the bases.

Gordon got Manny Ramirez to ground into a double play and walked Jim Thome before getting Fryman to end the game.

Martinez, who said he had been told by Boston manager Jimy Williams that he would come out if anyone reached base, said he wasn't nervous in the ninth even with Ramirez, baseball's RBI leader, at the plate.

"Doesn't matter," he said. "I have confidence in my teammates. Anyway, Manny's gettable. Sometimes he gets you but sometimes you get him."

Touched for two hits and a sacrifice fly in the first inning, Martinez shut down the Indians, who entered the game with a .307 team average, to win his eighth straight start.

"Martinez throws all his pitches for strikes. He has as good of command as any pitcher I've ever seen," Indians manager Mike Hargrove said. "He changes speeds well."

Martinez appeared to be on the way to losing for the first time since April 15 when the Red Sox, trailing 1-0, finally put together a rally in the eighth against Cleveland starter Bartolo Colon (6-2).

Colon, who allowed five hits in 7 1-3 innings, went pitch for pitch against Martinez, a fellow Dominican he has long admired. Colon took a three-hit shutout into the eighth before the Red Sox rallied.

"Pitching against Martinez, I put something extra on every pitch because he is my idol," said Colon. "What impresses me the most about him is his cold blood. When he gets in a jam he does not panic and he makes his pitches."

Martinez was equally complimentary of Colon, whom he has beaten three times in three starts with two complete games. If Cleveland is still looking for a No. 1 starter it can ride to the World Series, Martinez thinks the Indians already have him.

"What I saw today was a No. 1 guy on any team," Martinez said of Colon. "It's just a matter of getting him ready and getting him on the right track. That guy could be better than anybody in the game."

Boston had managed just two infield singles and a soft liner to center through seven innings against Colon, but Darren Lewis opened the eighth with a single and Trot Nixon followed with a double.

Jose Offerman then pulled an 0-2 pitch to the right side to score Lewis, and after Colon intentionally walked John Valentin, he was replaced to a standing ovation from the Jacobs Field crowd.

"The key was Offerman moving over the runners," Williams said. "I don't know how he hit that ball. That's what you call a productive out."

Ricky Rincon came on and got Brian Daubach to pop out, bringing up Garciaparra, whose homer was only the second Shuey has allowed this season. Right-handers entered the game batting just .163 against Shuey.

"That's what happens when you hang a split," Shuey said. "You live on the edge with that pitch. You throw it well you're successful. You hang one you're in trouble."

Alomar's sacrifice fly in the first gave the Indians a 1-0 lead.

Reminded that Alomar (0-for-13) had never gotten a hit off him, Martinez knocked on the wood paneling of his clubhouse cubicle.

"Don't tell him that," Martinez said, pressing a finger to his mouth.

As Martinez knows, you need help to beat the Indians.

Notes

• Lofton is batting .440 (11-for-25) in his career vs. Martinez.
• Martinez has only given up two homers in 80 2-3 innings, and has walked just 16 while striking out 117.
• Jaret Wright , shelled Friday by Boston, said before the game that his performance may have been affected by AL president Gene Budig's announcement that he wanted to meet with Wright in New York to discuss the pitcher's mound behavior.
• Indians reliever Mark Langston will begin a 30-day rehab stint with a start for Triple-A Buffalo at Charlotte on Sunday.

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