Meet the new Sox. Even if the magic ends tomorrow, the revived Sox last night rolled up their third straight victory since Varitek introduced his leather mitt to A-Rod's face, this time obliterating the Orioles, 12-5, before a crowd of 42,113 thick with DNC-fleeing Boston partisans at Camden Yards.
"Maybe that's what we needed, to actually start going after everybody a little more aggressively," said Pedro Martinez, who was wise enough to watch Saturday's fray from ringside and sharp enough last night to reap the benefits of the renewed Sox offense as he improved to 11-4.
The victory was particularly valuable because it launched a four-city, 12-game road trip, the longest of the season for a team that generally has played poorly on the road. The Sox have started so slowly on the road that they almost have grown accustomed to trying to break even at the end.
"It's a long trip and it's nice to win the first one," manager Terry Francona said. "Every road trip, it's like we try to win the last couple to salvage it."
The mauling was no small feat since the Orioles had established themselves as even more dangerous regular-season rivals than the Yankees, outscoring the Sox, 46-24, in winning five of their six previous contests.
"I knew we had a tough series against the Yankees and our bullpen is a little beat up," Martinez said. "To be able to go through all that with the Yankees and right away pick up a win against a team that has given us the most difficulties I think is a good sign."
Old Sox or new Sox, things usually go better for them with Martinez on the mound. And though Martinez tweaked his right hip in the seventh inning and got little help from Terry Adams, who allowed both runners he inherited to score, the incumbent Sox ace rationed the Birds five runs on seven hits and a pair of walks to beat them for the first time in four starts this season.
Just last week, the Orioles hammered Martinez for eight runs over 6 2/3 innings in a 10-5 loss at Fenway, but he said he changed little about his approach last night.
