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BOSTON -- Pitching on three days' rest never seems to work out for Tim Hudson.

Hudson left after one inning Sunday with a strained muscle in his left side, and the Oakland Athletics wound up losing to Boston 5-4, evening their playoff series at 2-2.

That was the first time he pitched on three days' rest since an 11-2 loss to Minnesota in Game 4 of last year's opening round, when he gave up seven runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings while dealing with a sore hip.

But Oakland manager Ken Macha thought Hudson was fine going into this start.

"Most of the time I asked the pitching coach and he said he's throwing great," Macha said.

Steve Sparks allowed two runs in four innings and Ricardo Rincon gave up one run in two innings before Keith Foulke allowed David Ortiz's go-ahead, two-run double in the eighth.

"Usually with Hudson, the bullpen can kind of hang out for six or seven innings and not even get a call," Sparks said.

In the opener against Boston on Wednesday, Hudson allowed three runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. Oakland won 5-4 in 12 innings.

Since 1998, postseason starters are 5-14 on three days' rest. But there was no indication the short rest contributed to Hudson's injury.

Macha chose to use him and Barry Zito on three days' rest, primarily because lefty Mark Mulder is out for the season with a stress fracture in his right leg.

The Athletics announced that Hudson had a strain in his left oblique muscle. It was unclear whether Hudson would pitch if Oakland advances to the AL Championship Series. But Hudson was convinced the Athletics would get there.

"I think we have the better team," he said. "We have the best left-hander in the league going."

But Zito, the 2002 Cy Young award winner, must face Pedro Martinez, who won it in 1999 and 2000 and was 14-4 with an AL-best 2.22 ERA this year, in the decisive Game 5 Monday.

Hudson's injury didn't cost the Athletics the game even though they lost a pitcher who was 16-7 with a 2.70 ERA.

"We still had a chance to win the game," he said. "Our bullpen came in and did a great job."

Hudson pitched a perfect first inning, but he felt a twinge in his side while pitching to Todd Walker, the last batter in the first. He left the game after feeling it again on a warmup pitch before the bottom of the second.

"I felt pretty good out there," Hudson said. "I had a great first inning, and felt I had some pretty good stuff."

He retired Johnny Damon on a grounder, struck out Nomar Garciaparra and got Walker to pop out.

But while warming up, he signaled for catcher Adam Melhuse to come to the mound. They were quickly joined by all four infielders, Macha, pitching coach Rick Peterson and trainer Larry Davis.

After a few minutes, Hudson walked to the dugout and was replaced by Sparks. He sat in the dugout with his head down, running his hands over his head, then covering his face with them. Then he went to the clubhouse.

It was the second injury to one of Oakland's starters at Fenway Park this season. On Aug. 19, Mulder left after two innings with the stress fracture.

Three days earlier, Hudson was hit on the pitching hand by a line drive off the bat of Toronto's Dave Berg. Hudson missed his scheduled start against the Red Sox on Aug. 21.

Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press