Baltimore Orioles defeat Boston Red Sox, 7-2

BALTIMORE -- The new Red Sox season, one of great expectations, got off to a rough start at Camden Yards last night.

Pedro Martinez was back on the mound, but the problems that plagued him in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in the Bronx last season and continued throughout spring training followed him into the second inning of a 7-2 loss to the Orioles.

Martinez didn't stick around to talk about things after the game. In fact, team guy that he is, Pedr...

BALTIMORE -- Some fans couldn't wait for the home opener. With the Red Sox beginning the 2004 campaign last night in Baltimore, many fans, including some who intend to be at Fenway Park on Friday, made the nearly eight-hour trek down Interstate 95 to Camden Yards.

Last night marked the fifth time the Orioles have opened the season at home against the Red Sox, and the second time the teams have opened in Camden Yards. Baltimore won the previous matchup, 2-1, in 11 inning...

BALTIMORE -- Blame it on the cold? It would be easy enough since the game-time temperature at Camden Yards last night was 43 degrees, matching the coldest opener for the Orioles since 1987. It was 18 degrees chillier than the last time Pedro Martinez pitched when it counted, Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in the Bronx.

Yet even the ravages of a wintry grip had not stopped Martinez in the past. Just a year ago, the Sox ace blanked the Devil Rays on two...