Victor Martinez

Reporting from Arlington, Texas — The Detroit Tigers may be battered, they may be bruised and they may be one loss away from next season. But they're not done yet. And that, designated hitter Victor Martinez thinks, makes them dangerous entering Saturday's sixth game of the American League Championship Series, which they trail, three games to two. "We don't get this opportunity often," said Martinez, one of four Tigers starters nursing an...

A dazed Victor Martinez, still in uniform, stared into his locker. Across the silent Boston clubhouse, Jonathan Papelbon, a scowl creasing his face, sat cross-legged, looking off into space. Next to him, Josh Beckett dressed quickly and left through a side door without speaking to anyone. Moments earlier the Red Sox had been a happy, confident bunch. They had a two-run lead on the scoreboard and on the mound they had a closer in Papelbon who hadn't yielded a run in 26 postseason innings.

On a night when he had everything working, Pedro Martinez threw one hanging curveball that cost him a chance at the first no-hitter in New York Mets' history. Martinez took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Tuesday against the Houston Astros before Chris Burke hit his first major league home run. Martinez gave up only one other hit and struck out 12 in a 3-1 victory at New York.

Pedro Martinez was touched by the fans and tagged by the Boston Red Sox in his return to Fenway Park. Martinez got a standing ovation and then gave up four runs in the first inning and four more in the third before leaving as baseball's hottest team went on to a 10-2 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday. "It's not disappointing at all," said Martinez after his worst effort in two seasons with the Mets.

Victor Martinez pulls off a surprise nearly every time he takes the field. Just last week, the Indians' catcher peered at his target 60 feet away in Jacobs Field and nodded. He wound up and snapped off a better-than-average curveball to reliever Jose Jimenez, who had briefly reversed roles with his batterymate. After Martinez's curve dropped like a rock into his glove, Jimenez signaled a strike.

If a tree falling in a forest doesn't make a sound, then the streaking Cleveland Indians in an empty ballpark must be just as insignificant. With nearly 45 games complete, the Indians are one of the most surprising teams in the majors and are perched atop their division. But the Indians aren't the only team causing double takes for those who live by the saying: "If the season would end today ... " The Orioles are leading the AL East over the likes of Tampa Bay, New York and Boston.

Giant vulnerability? The San Francisco Giants rode their starting pitchers to two World Series championships in three years, and starters renowned for their health are at it again. None of the Giants' five starters has missed a turn this season. They have not missed a lot of bats, either. Ryan Vogelsong has an 8.06 earned-run average, the worst of any major league starter. Matt Cain has a 5.43 ERA, and he has given up the most home runs in the majors. This is stunning, considering the relative talent and the home parks involved: The Giants' starters have a higher ERA than the Colorado Rockies' starters.

at Boston 11, Cleveland 6: Victor Martinez hit a grand slam against his former team to support Josh Beckett (17-6), who gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings. at Tampa Bay 5, New York 3 : Dioner Navarro hit a two-run home run and rookie Jeff Niemann (13-6) gave up two runs and six hits in five innings to win for the first time in more than a month. at Seattle 2, Texas 1 : Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 630th home run and Ichiro Suzuki had three hits to help lift the Mariners.

Victor Martinez, who won the 1996 National Book Award for young people's literature for his semi-autobiographical novel about growing up Mexican American in California's Central Valley, has died. He was 56. Martinez died Feb. 18 at his San Francisco apartment of lung cancer, said his sister, Martha Manzano. The cancer was related to juvenile papillomavirus, which first struck him as an adolescent. Doctors linked the virus to growing up around pesticides, his sister said. The fourth of 12 children of migrant farm laborers, Martinez was born Feb. 21, 1954, in Fresno.

Rookie David Huff and four relievers stifled the Tampa Bay Rays, and Victor Martinez drove in both runs for the Cleveland Indians in a 2-1 victory Thursday, completing a four-game sweep of the defending American League champions. The Rays have lost five in a row overall and 17 straight in Cleveland, the longest road losing streak against one team in club history. "Maybe next time we come in, we'll have some candles and holy water," Rays Manager Joe Maddon said.