Desperate Times or Not, Martinez Will Not Get Start

The answer, one last time: No, Pedro Martinez will not start Game 4 today, even though the Boston Red Sox are facing elimination, even though Pete Schourek isn’t exactly anybody’s idea of a stopper, and even though most of Boston apparently disagrees with the decision.

The answer, from Manager Jimy Williams, is the same as he has given for a couple of days: No Pedro until Game 5, if the Red Sox get that far.

“Pete Schourek’s going to pitch tomorrow,” Williams said after losing Game 3.

Was Williams tempted to use Martinez in Game 4?

“Good question,” Williams said. “Temptation, yeah. Come to my senses? No. That’s my opinion. I’ll live with it. Regardless of what people think and believe, this is the right decision for this team.”

Martinez hasn’t pitched on three days’ rest all season, Williams explained earlier, and even if Martinez pitched and the Red Sox won, Boston still would need another clutch pitching performance to win Game 5.

Indian right fielder Manny Ramirez, justifiably criticized for being held to a single on a fly ball off the wall in Game 1 and almost thrown out at second on a similar blast-and-jog in Game 2, noticeably did not jog from the plate on either of his home run shots in Game 3.

“He ran today, did you see that?” Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove said with a smile.

Said Ramirez: “I was just trying to run hard. They’ve brought up a lot of young guys from triple A and if they see me jogging, they might do it too.”

TODAY’S PITCHERS

INDIANS’

BARTOLO COLON

(14-9, 3.71 ERA)

vs.

RED SOX’S

PETE SCHOUREK

(1-3, 4.30 ERA)

Site--Fenway Park, Boston

Time--1 p.m. PDT TV--Ch. 11

* Update--There is a lot of Red Sox nervousness about having the season come down to Schourek, a left-hander who was acquired in August and got his spot in the postseason rotation basically by default. Tim Wakefield, blown out of his Game 2 start after recording only four outs, should be warming in the bullpen practically from the outset today. Colon was 9-4 with league-best 2.46 ERA at the All-Star break, but only 5-5 with 5.65 ERA after the break while complaining of a tired arm.