Baltimore ? As far as the Baltimore Orioles are concerned, Pedro Martinez already is back to peak form.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner made his second straight exceptional start, limiting the Orioles to one hit in seven innings as the Boston Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep with a 7-0 victory Thursday.

Boston's Pedro Martinez delivers against Baltimore. Martinez held Baltimore to one hit in seven innings, and the Red Sox blanked the Orioles, 7-0, Thursday in Baltimore.

Martinez (3-0) had a season-high 10 strikeouts and held Baltimore hitless until Gary Matthews Jr. lined a clean single to right with two outs in the sixth. He walked one and hit a batter.

“Pedro has done this to a lot of other clubs,” Baltimore manager Mike Hargrove said. “Good pitching will stop good hitting, and Pedro was awfully good today.”

In his previous outing on April 19, Martinez allowed only one hit in eight innings against Kansas City.

Limited to just 18 starts last year because of tendinitis in his right shoulder, Martinez has given up just four earned runs in his last four starts after being tagged for seven earned runs in three innings against Toronto on opening day, dropping his ERA from 21.00 to 3.38.

“The day a no-hitter is going to happen, it’s just going to happen,” he said. “I’m not going to try to go look for it, or try to overdo anything. I’m just going to keep my poise and try to pitch my way through my injury and hopefully get better every day.”

He may not have gotten the chance to complete the no-hitter, even if Matthews didn’t get a single. Martinez left after throwing 103 pitches, which was close to the pitch-count of 110 to 120 that pitching coach Tony Cloninger set for him.

“Tony told me afterwards, if I had gone to my pitch limit with a no-hitter going, I was going to be taken out,” Martinez said. “So regardless of what the situation was going to be, we were going to stick to the program.”

Martinez retired the first nine Orioles before walking Jerry Hairston leading off the fifth. He then retired six straight before hitting Brook Fordyce with a pitch starting the sixth. Two outs later, Matthews hit a 2-2 pitch several yards in front of right fielder Trot Nixon.

Martinez dutifully ran to back up third base after the hit, which drew groans from many in the crowd of 31,353. Martinez struck out David Segui to end the inning, then worked a perfect seventh before departing.

“He’s throwing the ball well and he’s still progressing very good. We like what we’re seeing,” Boston manager Grady Little said. “And we like the way he’s feeling after these starts. The next time, he’ll come back on five days for the first time this year.”

Martinez said he isn’t quite 100 percent, but on his way.

“Every day is a new adventure,” he said.

Sun Woo Kim allowed one hit in the eighth and Willie Banks finished the two-hitter.

Nixon homered and Manny Ramirez had three hits and two RBIs for the Red Sox, who averted their first three-game sweep in Baltimore since 1974.

Athletics 6, Yankees 2

Oakland, Calif. Miguel Tejada hit a three-run homer, Greg Myers added a two-run homer for Oakland, and Frank Menechino had an RBI double. Barry Zito (1-1) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings to defeat Mike Mussina (3-1), who allowed six runs and seven hits in 52/3 innings, striking out nine. Jason Giambi went hitless in three at-bats against Zito after going 4-for-8 in the first two games. Giambi, playing at Oakland for the first time since leaving the A’s to sign with the Yankees, also grounded into an inning-ending double play against reliever Mike Magnante.

Rangers 11, Blue Jays 9

Arlington, Texas Pinch-hitter Herbert Perry tied the game with a single off Dan Plesac (1-2) and Alex Rodriguez followed with a go-ahead double as Texas, which earlier trailed 6-0, overcame a 9-8 deficit in the eighth. Rodriguez drove in three runs for the Rangers, who also got a two-run homer from Carl Everett in a seven-run.

The Rangers’ Mike Lamb, in his first major league start as a catcher, had a passed ball, was unable to block three wild pitches, allowed two steals and failed to come up with an outfield throw at the plate as a run scored. Todd Van Popple (1-0) pitched 12/3 innings of one-hit scoreless relief, and Hideki Irabu recorded three outs for his third save. Texas scored seven runs in the fifth off five pitchers one short of the major league record for pitchers in an inning.

White Sox 6, Indians 3

Cleveland Kenny Lofton had three RBIs, and Jon Garland (3-1) allowed three runs and four hits in 52/3 innings as Chicago win its third straight over Cleveland. After sweeping the Indians last week at home, the White Sox won the final three games of the four-game series at Jacobs Field and are 6-1 this season against their AL Central rival. Chicago, which turned four double plays, outscored Cleveland 46-18 in the series and has won 13 of 16. Keith Foulke pitched the ninth for his sixth save. Ryan Drese (2-2) allowed five runs and six hits in six innings.

Twins 6, Devil Rays 2

St. Petersburg, Fla. A.J. Pierzynski hit a tying single with one out in the ninth inning and pinch-hitter Doug Mientkiewicz followed with a two-run double. Jacque Jones added a two-run homer off Esteban Yan (1-1), who had converted 10 straight save chances since wasting a lead against Minnesota last Aug. 12. Minnesota had lost nine straight games at Tampa Bay and 12 of 14 overall against the Devil Rays.