Pedro Martinez Gets Game 2 Start

NEW YORK -- Charlie Manuel's gamble on Pedro Martinez paid off in the National League Championship Series, so he's going to try it again. Manuel announced that Martinez will start Game 2 of the World Series, an outing he'll make on 12 days of rest after his gem in Game 2 of the NLCS, a game he pitched on 17 days of rest.

The extra rest agreed with the 38-year-old, who pitched seven shutout innings against the Dodgers, but Manuel said Tuesday that he also chose Martinez because of his big game history.

"He has a tremendous feel for the game, and he knows a lot about it," Manuel said. "He loves to compete. The bigger the moment, the bigger the stage, I think the more he likes it. He's been very good for our club, and he fits real well."

There's another, more tangible reason, for picking Martinez. He's right-handed. Manuel said he wanted to break up his two big left-handers, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.

"I wanted to split my lefties up, and also I felt like Pedro was the ideal guy to go in between them because of what type of pitcher he is, and his command, how he can chance speeds, and the fact that he's been here before," Manuel said. "I think this is going to be a real big moment for him. He used to it and he's done it before. I think he's the guy that's more apt to handle it good."

Mark Teixeira said he was expecting a good effort from Martinez, despite the fact that he's not the same pitcher he was when he was younger.

"I expect him to be Pedro Martinez," Teixeira said. "Just because he doesn't throw 97 mph any more doesn't mean he's not effective. He's shown that in the regular season and the playoffs. He's still a great pitcher. We'll have our hands full."