And Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra says that what he did Saturday was his toughest task of all.

While his Boston teammates were beating the Cleveland Indians 9-3 to avoid a sweep in the best-of-5 series, Garciaparra had to watch from the dugout because of his bruised right wrist.

"I wanted to be out there. I did everything I could do to be out there," the All-Star shortstop and AL batting champion said. "I'll be leaving here hoping I can be ready to play (Sunday)."

Lou Merloni replaced Garciaparra at shortstop and batted sixth, going 2-for-3. But he also made a throwing error on a potential double play that would have kept Roberto Alomar from scoring to make it 2-2 in the sixth.

Still, the victory assured Boston of at least one more game. Garciaparra said he would test his wrist again before Sunday's Game 4.

"I know if he's healthy, he's going," Merloni said. "This is what the guy plays for. I know it was killing him not to be in this ballgame, the competitor he is."

Garciaparra, who led the league with a .357 average, bruised his right wrist on Sept. 25 when Baltimore's Al Reyes hit him with a pitch. It didn't hurt him in the playoff opener, won by Cleveland 3-2, when he went 2-for-3 with a homer and double and scored both runs.

But in an 11-1 loss in Game 2 on Thursday, Garciaparra was 0-for-3 with a strikeout and two groundouts.

The swelling didn't go down on Friday, when Garciaparra skipped an off-day workout. And when he tried to take some swings before Game 3, he couldn't.

"He went out in the tunnel (batting cage) and came back with a 'No,' " Red Sox manager Jimy Williams said before the game.

If the Red Sox force a fifth game, the condition of pitcher Pedro Martinez would also become an issue.

The AL Cy Young Award favorite left his Game 1 start after four innings with a strained back muscle. He threw for about one minute in the outfield prior Saturday's game before trainer Rich Zawacki cut him off.

"He's still experiencing discomfort," team doctor Arthur Pappas said. "We'll attempt light throwing again tomorrow."