Almost from the moment that Pedro Martinez arrived in Boston, the Red Sox have been searching for someone to ride sidecar with him in the rotation -- mostly with little success.

The Red Sox auditioned, among others, his older brother Ramon, David Cone and Bret Saberhagen. Together, that trio won more than 400 games in the big leagues, but by the time they joined the Red Sox, the victories were mostly used up.

Little did the Red Sox know that they had their No. 2 starter on the staff all along. As improbable as it may have seemed, Derek Lowe, a failed closer a year ago, has emerged to provide the Red Sox with the best 1-2 punch in the American League.

Dynamic Duos

Derek Lowe and Pedro Martinez in the AL and Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson in the NL both have a chance to finish 1-2 in their leagues in wins. Teammates who have done so since 1950: 1999 Astros Mike Hampton 22 Jose Lima 21 1997 Braves Denny Neagle 20 Greg Maddux 19 (tied) 1990 A's Bob Welch 27 Dave Stewart 22 1983 White Sox LaMarr Hoyt 24 Richard Dotson 22 1970 Orioles Dave McNally 24 Mike Cuellar 24 1963 Yankees Whitey Ford 24 Jim Bouton 21 (tied) 1959 Braves Warren Spahn 21 Lew Burdette 21 (tied with Giants' Sam Jones) 1956 Tigers Frank Lary 21 Billy Hoeft 20 (tied) 1954 Indians Early Wynn 23 Bob Lemon 23 1951 Giants Sal Maglie 23 Larry Jansen 23 1950 Braves Warren Spahn 21 Johnny Sain 20 (tied)

Oakland may have more depth. New York may have more wins from their starters. Seattle could have more balance. But no AL team has a better pair of aces.

Among big-league pitching combos, only Arizona's Dynamic Duo of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling can match up. While Johnson and Schilling have combined for 37 victories to 33 for Martinez and Lowe, the Red Sox tandem sport lower ERAs (Martinez 2.20, Lowe 2.29 vs. Johnson 2.55, Schilling 2.69), and do so in a hitter's ballpark and in a hitter's league, where pitchers must deal with the likes of Ellis Burks, David Ortiz and Edgar Martinez rather than some weak-hitting fellow hurler.

The Martinez-Lowe tandem may be the best the Red Sox have had since 1986 when Roger Clemens and Bruce Hurst pitched them to a pennant. At their current rate, they will be the first Red Sox duo since Mel Parnell and Ellis Kinder in 1949 to each win 20 games.

Their success is all the more remarkable given that there were huge question marks surrounding both pitchers as recently as this spring. Martinez missed three months last season when he was found to have a partial tear of his right rotator cuff, throwing his career into question.

Throughout spring training, Martinez had difficulty commanding his curveball while his velocity dipped precipitously. When he was shelled for eight runs in three innings on Opening Day against Toronto, Red Sox fans fell into a full panic.

As it turned out, that outing may have been the last subpar one for Martinez. Take away his April 1 start, and Martinez's ERA would be a other-worldly 1.77.

If Martinez entered the season with physical question marks, Lowe began his transformation back to the rotation -- he had started earlier in his career -- with plenty of self-doubt. Following a 42-save season in 2000 and a selection to the American League All-Star team, Lowe lost his confidence and, eventually, his role as closer in 2002.

Three quality starts last September helped erase the bad taste left by his bullpen experience, but there were no guarantees that he could sustain it over the course of his season. To prepare himself, he underwent a rigorous conditioning program to build up his legs to better withstand the demands of pitching in excess of 200 innings.

With three quarters of the season gone, Martinez and Lowe have each, in his own way, far surpassed expectations -- Martinez for his remarkable durability and return to form, Lowe for his consistency and adaptability.

Their numbers are so close as to invite Cy Young debates. In innings pitched, ERA, wins and hits allowed, the two are nearly statistical twins. Indeed, on the same homestand that saw Lowe's scoreless innings streak come to an end 29, Martinez upped his streak to 31 (it ended at 35 in Friday's 4-0 loss to Minnesota), the longest such streak for a Boston pitcher since Luis Tiant in 1972.

Martinez, who already owns three Cy Young awards, has graciously promoted Lowe to win this time, though he cheekishly adds that if Lowe falls short, Martinez would "like to keep it in the family." Mostly, Martinez said, he hopes that Lowe wins, since his teammate's continued excellence would signify that the Sox could qualify for the playoffs after a two-year absence.

Should the Sox reach October, the debates have already begun as to who would be the best choice to open a postseason series. Should the Red Sox ape the Diamondbacks and have the more resilient Lowe open the series with an eye toward bringing him back for Games 4 and 7? Or should Martinez, arguably the game's best pitcher since 1997, get the Game 1 assignment by dint of his past accomplishments and his ability to thoroughly dominate opponents?

It's a fun exercise, but it could be rendered moot unless Martinez and Lowe get some contributions from the rest of the rotation. Over the last 23 games, during which time the Sox are actually under .500, the club has received just three wins from starters other than their big two.

It may be possible for a team to ride two aces in October, when scheduled days off shortens a staff and pitchers influence the outcome even more than the regular season. But the trick for the Red Sox may be getting there.

John Burkett is winless over his last three starts, shelled early in two. Casey Fossum has made four starts since being promoted to the rotation and thanks to poor relief work and sloppy defense, is winless to date. Only Tim Wakefield has been effective of late, and the unpredictability of his signature knuckler makes each of his starts an adventure.

With six weeks remaining, Martinez and Lowe, as good as they've been, can't do it by themselves. If they could, the Red Sox would be closer to the Yankees in the AL East or leading the pack of wild-card contenders.

The comparisons to Johnson and Schilling are intriguing -- to say nothing of the appeal a meeting with the Diamondbacks in the World Series would have. But to make the debate come to life, the Red Sox have to get to October, which means they need more from the other three to go along with the Dynamic Duo.

Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal covers baseball for ESPN.com.