Odds And Ends. The Boston Herald reported that of his first 90 pitches aganst Baltimore on Thursday, Martinez threw only one fastball that resulted in a swing and miss. Why did the Herald stop counting at 90? Maybe because Jay Gibbons swung and missed pitches 91 and 92. And why only fastballs? Here's Pedro's called, swinging and foul strikes, balls and balls in play, by inning:

      C  F  S   B  IP

1     5  5  1  10   3

2     2  2  0   9   3

3     3  3  1   3   4

4     6  3  1   7   5

5     3  3  4  12   5

Tot  19 16  7  41  20

Pedro:

      After 3 starts    End of season

2002    1  0  6.91      20-4  2.26 (led AL in ERA)

2003    0  1  5.12      14-4  2.22 (led AL in ERA)

2004    1  1  4.82          ?

Manny Ramirez's home run yesterday was his 350th, tying him with Chili Davis for 68th place on the all-time list. ... Giants pitcher David Aardsma has ended Hank Aaron's 50-year reign atop the alphabetical list of big league players. ... Tony Massarotti wonders if the Sox starters perform better with four days of rest or five. He posts their 2003 stats:

            Four days   Five+ days

Martinez    6-2  2.19   8-2  2.92 

Wakefield   6-5  3.94   3-2  4.23 

Schilling   4-7  2.92   4-1  1.52 

Lowe        9-2  4.86   6-5  4.00

Schilling's and Lowe's "four days" stats should be Exhibit A in "Why Run Support Distorts W/L Records".

Mel Stottlemyre doesn't usually whine: "I think there were two strike zones out there today. That's all I want to say about that. Moose was at fault partly, of course, but I can't blame it [four walks] all on him." ... Schilling: "I would love to tell you four walks were due to a bad strike zone, but they weren't. The guys that I walked, I walked. I thought Mark was consistent. That's what you ask for from an umpire -- big or little [strike zone], I want consistency. I don't want ball one to be strike three, or vice versa."

Memo To Sox re Contreras: "Keep doing what you're doing. Lay off the splitter and pound the fastball."

2003   IP  H   ER  BB  K   ERA    AVG

0520  1.1  2    5   3  1                Loss, Sox 10-7

0829  3.0  6    7   3  6                Loss, Sox 10-5

      4.1  8   12   6  7  24.92  .421   Both games at Fenway

Sox hitters v the Cuban Con Man:

        AB   H   

Damon    3   0   3K

Mueller  2   2   HR, 4 RBI, BB

Ortiz    3   2   double, 3 RBI 

Ramirez  0   0   BB

Millar   2   0   2K

Varitek  2   0   BB, K

Kapler   2   1   double, RBI

Michael Holley, Boston Globe: "You know we're going to hear from him soon. I say George Steinbrenner emerges before the first runner leaves Hopkinton tomorrow morning. How long before he releases one of his breathless memos? The ones where he quotes General MacArthur and assures all that the Yankees will not go down without a fight?"

Lawrence Rocca, Newark Star-Ledger: "Okay, okay, it's only 11 games, but what if the Red Sox really did win the winter? What if these first two games up here aren't just prelude to the same old story? What if A-Rod is going to struggle all year and Curt Schilling is going to win the Cy Young Award and, well, at what point is it no longer too soon to be more than just a hunch? ... You can bet the big guy in Tampa was thinking that yesterday, no matter how many 'it's not how you start, it's how you finish' press releases he's got planned for this week."

Jeter on the Fenway jeers: "You hear most of it, unless you're deaf." ... Late inning chant: "Po-key's better!"