Martinez too hot for Rays

Red Sox ace tosses his first shutout since 2000

? Pedro Martinez likes the hot weather, and his record proves it.

On a sunny afternoon at Fenway Park, he struck out 10 in his first shutout in almost four years, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 6-0, Thursday for their fifth win in six games.

Martinez improved to 9-1 since losing May 16 in Toronto. He was off to a slow start early this season, when it was still chilly.

“The weather was worse than I have ever faced before. You can’t feel the ball,” Martinez said. “But as the weather has gone along, I’ve gotten better. And, hopefully, it can carry over to the end of the season.”

With a gametime temperature of 82 degrees, Martinez (13-4) gave up six hits, no walks and did not allow a runner past second base.

“When it heats up, he seems to heat up,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “Right now is when we need him to be strong.”

Martinez hasn’t missed a start all season for the Red Sox, who moved a season-high 13 games over .500 and hold a slim lead in the AL wild-card race with 49 games left.

“He’s not the power guy he used to be, but he pitches,” Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella said. “He was in full control out there.”

Martinez threw 109 pitches in his 42nd career complete game and first since Sept. 16 against Tampa Bay. His 16th shutout was his first since he beat the Devil Rays, 8-0, on Aug. 29, 2000.

He also passed Bob Feller and Warren Spahn for 21st place in career strikeouts with 2,590.

“I don’t pay attention to those numbers, but it’s always great to find out,” said Martinez, who lowered his earned-run average from 3.94 to 3.72.

Boston's Pedro Martinez delivers against Tampa Bay. Martinez struck out 10 in his first shutout in nearly four years, and the Red Sox defeated the Devil Rays, 6-0, Thursday in Boston.

He struck out at least 10 for the third straight game, fourth this year and 97th time in his career, tying Sandy Koufax for fourth place on the all-time list.

Carl Crawford led off the game with a single and went to second on a sacrifice before the next two batters grounded out. In the fifth, Julio Lugo singled and Aubrey Huff was hit by a pitch with none out, but Rocco Baldelli popped out, Tino Martinez struck out and Jose Cruz Jr. flied out.

In the ninth, Huff led off with a double but was stranded when Martinez retired the next three batters, ending the game by striking out Cruz.

Yankees 5, Rangers 1

Arlington, Texas — Orlando Hernandez won again for New York, and Miguel Cairo hit his first career grand slam. Hernandez (5-0) has a 2.08 ERA in seven starts since rejoining the rotation a month ago. He re-signed with the Yankees in March and rehabbed his shoulder in the minors for the first half of the season.

El Duque allowed one run and four hits in seven innings, helping the Yankees clinch the season series 5-4 against the Rangers. He struck out seven and walked three.

Cairo gave Hernandez all the run support he needed in the second inning, sending Scott Erickson’s fastball 407 feet into the Yankees’ bullpen in left-center field.

Indians 6, Blue Jays 2

Cleveland — Pinch-hitter Ben Broussard hit his second grand slam in four days, sending Cleveland over Toronto. Broussard has three slams this season, including a shot Monday against the White Sox. He is the fourth player in major-league history with two pinch-hit slams in one season, joining Dave Johnson (1978), Mike Ivie (1978) and Darryl Strawberry (1998).

The Indians won for the seventh time in eight games and stayed three games behind Minnesota in the AL Central.

The Twins start a three-game series tonight at Jacobs Field.

Twins 6, Mariners 3

Seattle — Justin Morneau hit two home runs to awaken Minnesota’s offense, and the Twins snapped a four-game losing streak. Johan Santana (12-6) pitched seven sharp innings, and Joe Nathan closed for his 33rd save.

Minnesota took an early edge when Lew Ford lined a two-out double in the first inning and Morneau hit his ninth home run of the year.

Orioles 6, Angels 1

Anaheim, Calif. — Melvin Mora homered and drove in three runs, Rodrigo Lopez pitched seven strong innings, and Baltimore beat Anaheim. The victory was Baltimore’s ninth in 10 games and ended Bartolo Colon’s six-game winning streak.

Lopez (10-7) won for the fourth time in his last five road starts, allowing a run and five hits while striking out five and walking one.

Mora homered in the first inning against Colon and added a two-run single in the sixth against Brendan Donnelly. He’s batting .346 with 21 homers.

Tigers 5, Athletics 3

Oakland, Calif. — Rondell White hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning, Craig Monroe connected two batters later, and Detroit beat Oakland. Mike Maroth (9-7) pitched seven solid innings to win his fourth straight decision.

Monroe finished with three RBIs, adding a run-scoring double in the fourth that tied the game at 2 and an eighth-inning single to score Dmitri Young.