Davis Martin pummeled for nine runs by Red Sox

Martin did not get off to a good start in this game. With one out in the first, he allowed a double, walk, single, and then three-run home run to cap off a four-run first inning for the Yankees. He righted the ship after that, though, with five scoreless frames. That helped open the door for what became a thrilling comeback win for the White Sox. Back to Martin, his command came back to him after that rough first inning and the Yankees never challenged him after it. It’s been a rough few months relative to his outstanding April and May, but this was a potential step in the right direction. He’s scheduled for a two-start week coming up, first against the Red Sox in Fenway and then the Guardians back at home.

Martin breezed through the first five innings here and it seemed like he was on his way to putting his recent cold stretch behind him. Then, he lost it in the sixth inning. Starting the frame with just 75 pitches and having allowed only four base runners to that point, he gave up three hits, hit a batter, was pulled, and all of the runners reliever Bryan Hudson inherited came around to score. Martin threw a first-pitch ball to all four batters that inning and only threw a first-pitch strike to seven of the 23 batters he faced in this game. His star is fading fast with a 5.82 ERA since June 1st and it’s difficult to trust him moving forward. Next up is a meeting with the Yankees at home.

Martin, who opened up 9-2 through 13 turns, is now winless in his last six starts, even though he’s pitched very well in three of those games. He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out five today. He’ll pitch at home against Houston next Friday.

The White Sox will return from the break with their top three starters going. This will also set up Erick Fedde for a two-start week against Texas and Houston the following week.

Martin walked two and threw a run-scoring wild pitch in a three-run third innings and then gave up four singles in a two-run fourth. That took him up to 84 pitches, and the White Sox decided against bringing him back out for the fifth. It’s just the fourth time in 18 starts that martin has allowed more than three runs. However, all four of those have come in his last nine outings. He closes out the first half 9-4 with a 3.41 ERA, and he seems like a shaky bet for the rest of the season.

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.