Martinez holds Diamondbacks to one run in win

Martinez cruised through five scoreless innings before his third battle with Yordan Alvarez. In his first two at-bats, it took Martinez seven pitches to retire him. That third time, Alvarez homered on the fifth pitch he saw, a sinker that missed its spot and wound up belt high. Then, Isaac Paredes reached on an infield single and Martinez was pulled at just 85 pitches. That means that nearly one quarter of all the pitches Martinez threw in this game were to Alvarez. That’s baseball at its best. No other hitter gave him trouble and he left the game with a 2.61 ERA through 100 innings this season. He’ll close out his first half with a start against the Yankees at home.

Martinez struck out five and walked three, increasing his ERA to 2.73. He allowed a solo homer to CJ Abrams but limited the damage overall. The veteran right-hander has pitched over his skis according to his ERA estimators, but outside of a six-run meltdown a few starts ago, he has yet to significantly regress. That outing is the only one this year where he’s allowed more than three earned runs. Martinez draws the Diamondbacks at home next time out.

All of the runs scored on a double, a single and a Kyle Tucker homer to start the third. Martinez’s peripherals have gotten worse of late, but he’s still sitting on a 2.60 ERA through 14 starts. He’ll likely face the Nationals at home on Sunday.

Martinez wasn’t overpowering, but was once again extremely efficient, working into the eighth inning before being pulled at just 73 pitches (49 strikes). The year-old veteran surrendered a run-scoring single to Jarren Duran in the third inning, but held Boston scoreless until a two-run double from Marcelo Mayer in the eighth that chased him from the contest. It was a nice bounce-back effort after being tagged for a season-high six runs over four innings by the Tigers in his previous start. He boasts a sparkling 2.43 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 44/13 K/BB ratio across 77 2/3 innings this season. He’ll face a tough test with a road tilt against the Dodgers on Monday.

Martinez was due for a stinker after never allowing more than two runs in any of his first 11 starts. He had just one strikeout and three whiffs today, and he gave up two homers for the first time this season. It took his ERA from 1.62 to 2.29. He’ll look to bounce back at home against the Red Sox next week.

The amazing part here is that Martinez’s ERA went up after limiting Los Angeles to just a pair of run-scoring singles over seven frames. The 35-year-old veteran continues to thrive in his Tampa Bay debut, allowing two runs or fewer for the 11th consecutive start to open the season. He’ll carry a sparkling 1.62 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 41/12 K/BB ratio across 66 2/3 innings into a home matchup against the Tigers on Wednesday.

Martinez allowed baserunners in each of the first five innings, but managed to battle his way out of danger until the fifth inning, when Austin Wells led things off with a solo homer to break a scoreless tie. That homer would be the only run Martinez would allow on the night, but he left the game trailing 1-0 after six innings. Martinez continues to be solid for the Rays, consistently inducing weak contact to get batters out while limiting walks. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in every start this season. Martinez’s next start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Orioles, who were swept by the Rays earlier in the week.

Martinez was brilliant once again on Saturday, holding the Marlins scoreless over six innings. He scattered five hits and one walk while striking out four batters. Martinez tossed 53 of 77 pitches for strikes and generated six groundouts to quiet the Miami offense. The 35-year-old right-hander has yet to allow more than two runs in an outing. He’ll take a 1.51 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 35/11 K/BB ratio across 53 2/3 innings into a start against the Yankees in New York on Friday.

Martinez struck out three batters on the afternoon and did not allow a base on balls. The lone blemish on his day came on an RBI single off the bat of Mickey Gasper in the sixth inning. The 35-year-old hurler generated 10 swings and misses on 80 pitches on the day — six of those on his changeup — while posting a solid CSW of 30 percent. He has been brilliant through his first eight starts, registering a 1.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and a 31/10 K/BB ratio over 47 2/3 innings. He’ll attempt to keep the good times rolling as he takes on the Marlins at home on Saturday.

The official announcement came just minutes before first pitch at Fenway Park. The two teams ultimately decided not to start up the contest and risk a washout by the middle innings based on the local forecast. It’ll be made up as a doubleheader on July 17. It’s a tough break for Payton Tolle’s fantasy managers as it was setting up as an extremely favorable matchup for Boston’s top pitching prospect. The 23-year-old southpaw will presumably be pushed back to Sunday instead, and could theoretically operate in a tandem role with Brayan Bello. We’ll see. Nick Martinez, today’s scheduled starter, will pitch Sunday for the Rays.