BOSTON (AP) -- For anyone else, it might be considered a great outing.

For Pedro Martinez, it was an off night.

	Pedro Martinez said he wasn't upset about losing to the Blue Jays, but this picture says otherwise.

"For him, it was a bad performance. And that's scary," Blue Jays outfielder Shannon Stewart said Tuesday night after Toronto beat Martinez and the Boston Red Sox 3-2. "The guy's just a great pitcher."

Chris Carpenter and the Toronto bullpen outpitched Martinez, who allowed a season-high seven hits and three earned runs as his major league-leading ERA rose from 0.90 to 1.19.

Martinez (7-2) had not given up three earned runs in 18 starts since last Aug. 19, a span that included last year's playoffs.

"I guess a lot depends on your expectations," Boston manager Jimy Williams said. "To me, he doesn't have a reason to be down; he pitched good. But he expects a lot from himself -- he always has. Maybe that's why he's at the level he is."

Martinez struck out seven and walked three in eight innings. Although he sat in the dugout after the game with his arms crossed and a frown across his face, he said he wasn't upset with his performance.

"I'm going to have to find out what is (wrong), but it's no big deal," he said. "Today I had a great outing. I just went out there to lose."

Carpenter (4-5) was facing Martinez for the second time in six days, having lost 8-0 in his last start. The Toronto right-hander allowed two runs, six hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings, leaving with two out and the bases loaded in the sixth; Paul Quantrill retired Jose Offerman to end the threat.

Billy Koch, who wasted a ninth-inning lead Monday when Chicago's Herbert Perry hit a two-run homer, pitched the ninth for his 10th save. Tony Batista homered for the Blue Jays.

"Obviously, with a 0.90 ERA, he's not going to give up many runs," Carpenter said. "When he does, you've got to take advantage, and we did that tonight."

Martinez came into the game leading the AL in strikeouts and tied for the lead in wins, but he ran into trouble from the first batter. Stewart and Craig Grebeck led off the game with singles and, after Raul Mondesi grounded into a fielder's choice, Stewart came home on a wild pitch.

The run was the first allowed by Martinez in 17 innings. It was also the first time he surrendered a first-inning run since last Aug. 8.

Boston tied it in the bottom half when Offerman walked, took third on John Valentin's single and scored on a double play. But Martinez was in trouble again in the third.

Alex Gonzalez led off with a single, took second on Stewart's single, third on Grebeck's walk and scored on Carlos Delgado's sacrifice fly. Batista hit his 12th homer leading off the fourth, ending an 0-for-13 slide and giving the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead.

Boston loaded the bases off Carpenter in the sixth when Brian Daubach and Carl Everett singled and, two outs later, Jason Varitek and Donnie Sadler walked to make it 3-2. But Quantrill got Offerman to bounce the ball to first base to preserve the victory.

Game notes
The attendance of 33,402 was Boston's largest at home this year. ... Grebeck extended his hitting streak to nine games with a first-inning single. Stewart extended his streak to seven games. ... The Minnesota Twins claimed 3B Casey Blake on waivers from the Blue Jays and assigned him to Salt Lake City of the Pacific Coast League. Toronto sent LHP Eric Gunderson outright to Syracuse of the International League. ... With 32 strikeouts in his previous two starts, Martinez tied Louis Tiant, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson for the most strikeouts in consecutive games by an AL pitcher. Kerry Wood holds the major league mark with 33. ... Toronto's previous three wins came in its last at-bats.