"He went out in the tunnel (batting cage) and came back with a `No,"' manager Jimy Williams said before the game. "He can't start. ... If he can't start, he can't pinch hit."

Cleveland leads the best-of-5 series 2-0. The Red Sox would need to win Saturday to force a Game 4 on Sunday, and then would need a win there to force a Game 5 on Monday.

If it gets that far, 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."

Pappas said that Garciaparra was having trouble with "extremes of motion" and is day-to-day.

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.