photo: Carlos Martinez (Springfield Cardinals)
Carlos Martinez returned to a familiar place for his rehab start on Thursday night.
Martinez was back at Hammons Field, home of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, where he made his first start since April 29, 2013.
A year prior, Martinez was an integral rotation piece in the S-Cards’ 2012 run to their first and only Texas League title in franchise history.
“It’s so exciting to rehab with Springfield and see a lot of fans here,” Martinez said inside the Springfield clubhouse following his outing. “I appreciate all the fans here. I’m so excited and thank you so much to those fans.”
With a 65-70 pitch count set coming into the start, Martinez needed 63 pitches (44 for strikes) to get through four innings of two-run ball against the Corpus Christi Hooks (HOU). The Cardinals rehabbing ace struck out four batters and walked zero on the night.
“I felt pretty good (tonight),” Martinez said, who has been out since May 10 with a right lat strain. “I felt really good on the mound. I’m so excited to come back. I was working with all my pitches today. I felt great.”
Martinez made quick 1-2-3 work of the Corpus Christi offense in the first inning, mixing in an array of pitches that included a sinker at 91-93 mph, cutter at 89 mph, slider at 86 mph, changeup at 84 mph, and curveball at 77 mph.
Then the second inning happened.
The righty labored and served up opposite-field home runs to Randy Cesar and Stephen Wrenn, needing 28 pitches to navigate through the second. He was able to reach back for 96-99 mph heat and snap off several sharp sliders to get out of it.
“In the first inning, I didn’t want to throw hard,” Martinez said. “I just tried to keep my ball down and in the zone. Just try to feel good with my arm and recover.”
In the third, Martinez worked around a one-out double with a pair of fly outs to avoid further trouble. However, a clean, eight-pitch fourth allowed him to go out and get a chance to go five innings at 60 pitches at that point.
After a leadoff double in the fifth, Springfield manager Johnny Rodriguez made the walk out to the mound and lifted Martinez, who left to a standing ovation.
“They were so loud,” Martinez said. “I know they love me. I think when Yadi comes here – they will be loud and have more fans. When we come here, it is so exciting. We know they got a lot of fans here.”
Martinez, who has a 3-2 record with a 1.62 earned run average in eight major league starts this year, felt like he accomplished what he hoped as he is set to rejoin St. Louis.
“I’m so excited because it is my start after the injury,” Martinez said. “I feel (good) with all my pitches. My arm, I feel, really great. I just hope to be ready for the next start.”
Martinez expects that next start will be on a big league mound with the Cardinals on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins.
“I’m just waiting for another opportunity,” he said.
Other Martinez quotes
On his fast start with the Cardinals prior to the injury: “For me right now, it is being focused. It is being focused on home plate and on the mound. My mind is focused. Last year, I was a little bit down. Right now, I just try to listen to Yadi, be focused on the mound, and don’t care if something happened on the field.
“That has helped me a lot and helped the team. Just keep competing and pitch-by-pitch, I want to win.”
On Yadier Molina coming back: “I’m excited to see Yadi come back because he is the captain. He is the heart of the team. I just hope that he is going to be great again soon. I think he comes back on Tuesday. I hope that he is going to be ready for Tuesday.”
On all the injuries: “I just hope they are going to be ready soon and come back soon, too. I just saw something about Alex Reyes. I pray. I pray a lot because I want to see my guys come back.”
On the team going forward: “I think we are going to be good for September. I think we are going to be ready. When we got all the guys that are hurt (back and healthy), we will be good and ready for the postseason.”
For more – Catch Derek Shore’s in-depth Springfield Cardinals Notebook, posted each Thursday morning all season long, exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation.
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system. Annual members may purchase our new 193-page 2018 Prospect Guide for less than half price. Our limited edition printed version is sold out.
Follow Derek Shore on Twitter @D_Shore23.
© 2018 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.