Davis Martin yields five runs in loss to Red Sox

Martin just could not command the baseball in this one, issuing five free passes in his abbreviated outing. It’s also the first time in 61 career starts that he failed to record a single strikeout. All of the damage done against him came in the third inning as Travis Bazzana smacked an RBI double and Brayan Rocchio worked a bases-loaded walk. Martin threw just 37 of his 73 pitches for strikes, generating just three whiffs and posting a miserable CSW of just 14 percent. He’ll look to bounce back and finish the first half strong as he carries a 9-3 record, 3.08 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and a 90/29 K/BB ratio (96 1/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Red Sox.

Martin had a relatively easy day on the mound as he coasted through five scoreless innings, pitching into the sixth in a no-decision against the Royals. After stranding runners on second and third in the second inning, he allowed just one other runner to reach scoring position, leaving Bobby Witt Jr. at second as he departed with one out in the sixth. Martin struck out three. That’s two strong starts now following his nine-run outing against the Yankees on June 16. The 29-year-old right-hander will take a 3.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 90/24 K/BB ratio across 93 innings into a start against the Guardians in Cleveland on Thursday.

Martin struck out four in the quality start, lowering his ERA to 3.18. He was tagged for nine earned runs against the Yankees last time out and for six runs against the Twins two starts earlier. He’s been uneven lately, but regression to the mean hasn’t cratered his usability in fantasy just yet. He’ll aim to keep limiting homers and walks in his next outing at home against the Royals.

Martin allowed a Spencer Jones solo homer in the second, four runs on three hits and three walks in the third and four more runs on two singles and two homers before being pulled in the fourth. It doubled his total of homers allowed from three to six this season. It’s his second poor outing in the last three; he allowed 10 hits and three walks in the start against the Twins 14 days ago and eight hits and three walks in this one. In none of his other 12 starts has he allowed more than seven hits or walked more than two. He’s still 9-3 with a 3.31 ERA overall, and while we’d expect that ERA to continue to increase, his 83/20 K/BB in 81 2/3 innings suggests that he could maintain some mixed-league value. He’ll look to bounce back against the Tigers on Sunday.

Martin’s magic just will not run out. He washed away a poor outing last time out against the Twins by going toe-to-toe with Chris Sale and out-pitching him. Martin scattered just six hits, only one of which went for extra bases, and was in control throughout. It was beautiful to see practically everything working for him too. Four different pitches – his fastball, cutter, curveball, and slider – each forced at least three swings-and-misses. He also navigated around 11 hard-hit balls, but it’s just been one of those seasons. On the year so far, Martin has a 2.41 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and 17 walks across 78 1/3 innings. He’s scheduled to face the Yankees and Tigers in a two-start week coming up with both starts on the road.

Martin gave up 10 hits, walked three and struck out two. It was a tough outing for Martin, who allowed 13 baserunners, gave up six runs, had only two strikeouts and failed to complete five innings. His ERA rose to just 2.61 after the shellacking. Martin is lined up to face the Braves at home next week.

Martin got 18 outs on 84 pitches, with a 33 percent whiff rate (14 of 42) and a 33 percent CSW (28 of 84). He’s up to 8-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 12 starts. Stuff models still aren’t overly impressed by him, and it seems likely there will be some regression going forward, but with his walk rate down and groundball rate climbing, he could remain somewhat above average. He’ll face the Twins again next week in Minnesota.

Although he gave up as many runs tonight as in his previous five starts combined, Martin struck out seven in maybe his easiest win to date, as the White Sox gave him nine runs to work with in the fourth. The team is now 9-1 when Martin starts and 17-23 the rest of the time. Martin will make his next start Wednesday at home against the Twins.

It’s yet another strong outing for Martin, and if the season did somehow end after Saturday’s outing, he might be the Cy Young favorite. Weird, but impressive. He struck out seven, and allowed just a solo homer in terms of run-prevention. His ERA lowered slightly to 1.61 from 1.62, and his K/BB improves to a video game-esque 59/10. He has to be in fantasy lineups next weekend against the Giants.

Martin allowed five baserunners while throwing 105 pitches over six strong frames. He’s been a different pitcher this season after adding a cutter and re-designing his breaking pitches. His slider, in particular, has been a difference-maker and entered the outing with a 59 percent whiff rate on 93 pitches. The pitch models aren’t fully buying in, but his advanced metrics show enough for him to be a must-start option at home against the Cubs next time out.