THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE

June 3, 2004 ...  Nomar Garciaparra received a less-than-warm welcome in this Midwest city as he continued his rehabilitation stint with Triple A Pawtucket.  It's a local tradition to make one of the visiting players the "strikeout player of the game" and award ice cream to fans whenever that player fans. Garciaparra was the strikeout player last night, and obliged the fans by whiffing twice in four hitless at-bats.

By losing five of their last seven games, the Red Sox have gone from 1 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees to 2 1/2 games behind in the American League East, a swing that has left them with their biggest deficit of the season.

Sox ace Pedro Martinez has endured statistically one of the worst starts of his career (5 innings, 11 hits, 7 earned runs), has been the starting pitching. During that seven-game span, Sox starters have allowed 38 earned runs in 40 1/3 innings, an ERA of 8.48. That's the biggest reason the staff ERA has climbed from a league-best 3.48 to 4.04, which left them third behind Oakland (3.81) and the Chicago White Sox (4.03) entering play last night.

Bronson Arroyo has allowed 11 earned runs in his last nine innings. Martinez has allowed 11 earned runs in his last 12 innings. Derek Lowe gave up seven earned runs in five innings, Tim Wakefield five in 6 2/3 innings. Curt Schilling, who is scheduled to pitch Sunday in Kansas City, Mo., is the only starter who was at the top of his game, going 7 2/3 innings and allowing five hits and four runs.