It's 2:30 p.m. in a nearly empty Rogers Centre. Other than the occasional hotel room spectator, few are aware of what is going on, and, really, what has been going on for the past few weeks.

Victor Martinez is in full catching regalia, receiving pitches from bullpen catcher Manny Martinez before subsequently throwing the ball down to an awaiting Marco Scutaro at second base. Over and over the process takes place, with catching instructor Gary Tuck offering a few words in between each bout of execution. A little while later, the class moves to the dugout, where Martinez sits, drenched in sweat, getting a few last reminders from his mentor.

The goal, as Tuck explains, is to get Martinez out of some bad habits, to get him right. Basically, get the catcher to the point where people stop talking about how he can't throw out those trying to steal bases against him.

And, according to the coach, largely because of these sessions (which have been a daily occurrence throughout the season's first month) the backstop is well on his way.

"Sure, absolutely, just because of his work ethic," Tuck said when asked if he was encouraged by Martinez' progress. "He listens. Things take time. There's a process. He came over here with some really bad habits. You can't break them overnight. He's worked on them in the spring, and now the season is a whole different ballgame."

The notion that there has been little time for Martinez to breathe once the season kicked off has been a slap-in-the-face reality. After throwing out Yankees baserunner Robinson Cano in the Red Sox' first series of the season, it has been a constant battle for Martinez, who has had to fight the confluence of big jumps, evolving throwing mechanics, and an ongoing battle with an up-and-down confidence that stems from allowing all but one of 28 base-stealers to successfully find their intended destination.

It matters little that of the 38 stolen bases against Red Sox catchers 15 of them have come without a throw from the backstop. (According to Tuck, Jason Varitek had whopping 47 no-throws last season). The focus is on the fact that the Red Sox have allowed 38 steals this month, just two shy of the record set by the 1990 Mets (and catcher Mackey Sasser) for most given up in a season's initial month.

The Red Sox need results. Tuck, for one, thinks they are on the way.

"He's attempting, and I think making progress on it, especially in the last 48 hours, to get shorter, quicker with his feet and his hands to get the ball down there," said Tuck, one of the game's most respected catching coaches. "You're not going to be perfect with the accuracy when you're doing that, but the ball is supposed to beat the runner."

Few might have noticed, but there has been progress since the Rangers left Fenway Park. Over the last six games, the Sox have allowed just two steals, with two more potential base-stealers thwarted by pickoff moves from Red Sox pitchers. And why the Red Sox still lead the majors in pitchouts (8), they've had to resort to the tactic only once in the last two series.

This is the type of thing, along with the two-a-days Tuck consistently runs through with Martinez and Varitek, that might allow for the screams of dismay regarding to the opponents' running game to turn into occasional whispers. But in the here and the now what it does do is allow for some much-needed confidence-building for a catcher whose emotions dictate the need for such boosts of encouragement.

"Last year Jason had 47 no-throws and we've had 14 this year, and those are when you have no plays or not to defend it because you're trying to get out of the inning. That goes against [Martinez] confidence-wise," Tuck explained. "The human nature is if a guy gets a jump you're going to rush it because you're trying to make up for it. You're going to be too quick and you're going to be inaccurate. It's hard to harness yourself. They're all excitable kids, but he's very excitable. He has to just stay within himself and do what he can do and deal with the consequences."

Encouragement aside, there is no doubt this is a problem that needs to be fixed. Nineteen of the successful steals have ended up resulting in a run scored, and Martinez still has to prove that he can be a viable defender behind the plate after having gunned down just 9-of-92 base-stealers since his 2008 elbow surgery.

But Tuck believes the primary issue regarding Martinez' throwing problems has been identified and will be fixed. And that, along with the willingness of the catcher to work on what ails him, is a big step in the direction the catcher and his team need to start heading.

"Catching-wise he's received the ball great this year. He's calling a better game than he did when he got here. He's blocking the ball as well as you can block the ball. Throwing-wise, he made four great throws against the Yankees in one game, one guy was caught stealing. He's trying to make up sometimes for jumps, trying to be too quick," Tuck said. "He's shortened his footwork up. He's now shortened his throwing stroke up to try to get it more efficient and more accurate. He came here with a long stroke with a sidearm sling. He's trying to get that to be more efficient to get the ball in the air quicker to get the ball down there and deal with the outs and safe. 

"The concept of the stolen base is a team concept where there's a lot of people involved, where sometimes it's a choice of not to throw because there's no play and you're trying to get out the inning, with the pitcher trying to get out of the inning. You deal with breaking balls. You deal with balls in the dirt. You deal with all that stuff. Where Victor was at the start of the season and where he will be during the end of the season will be two different players because of his constant daily work."