PHOENIX (AP) Carlos Martinez came out of spring training as the St. Louis Cardinals’ No. 5 starter.
Through 20 games, no pitcher on the team has been better.
Martinez gave up three hits in eight scoreless innings, Brandon Moss and Stephen Piscotty homered and the Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-2 on Tuesday night to square the four-game series at one win apiece.
Martinez (4-0) won for the fourth time in four starts. The 24-year-old right-hander held the Diamondbacks without a hit until David Peralta‘s one-out single in the fourth.
St. Louis manager Mike Matheny liked the ease with which Martinez worked through the game.
“We’ve just seen different styles (from him),” Matheny said. “This one was making off-speed pitches whenever he wanted to and then all of a sudden he waits until almost pitch 100 to show 98 (mph). He has that ability.”
Through an interpreter, Martinez said he was saving his hard pitches for the late innings.
“I realized that they look for the fastball on the first pitch,” he said, “so I threw a lot of breaking balls and they swung and missed.”
Moss had four hits, including a three-run homer in the fifth inning. Piscotty added a two-run shot in the seventh.
Former Cardinal Shelby Miller (0-2) threw four scoreless innings before St. Louis broke through for five runs in the fifth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kTvSvs6LUk
“It was definitely a step forward from what he was dealing with,” Arizona manager Chip Hale said. “The ball was coming out of his hand free and easy. His cutter was good. `’
Miller didn’t make it past the second inning in either of his previous two outings.
“I feel like we’re headed in the right direction, sure,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, you give up five runs in five innings. That’s how I look at it. The first four innings were good.”
Jake Lamb and Yasmany Tomas homered for Arizona off reliever Tyler Lyons in the ninth.
Martinez struck out four, walked one and hit a batter. Besides Peralta’s single, the other hits off him were Jean Segura‘s sixth-inning single and Tomas’ seventh-inning double.
Chris Owings, an infielder shifted to the outfield with A.J. Pollock‘s injury, showed his inexperience in center in the Cardinals’ big fourth inning. With runners at first and second and one out, Owings broke the wrong way briefly but still charged hard toward the ball, then made a diving attempt to catch Piscotty’s fly ball. The ball bounced off of Owings’ glove and rolled away for an RBI double.
“I probably could have actually got to it standing up,” Owings said. “I felt like when I tried to slide for it, my head might have popped up a little bit and that’s what made me move my glove just a tad. Just trying to get some more experience out there. Hopefully next time I get that ball. That ball tonight would have helped us out a lot.”
Randal Grichuk followed with an RBI sacrifice fly, then Moss hit Miller’s 1-0 pitch into the right-field seats, his fifth home run of the season, and it was 5-0.
Miller went five innings, allowing five runs and five hits. He struck out six and walked four.
Arizona’s offense stalled after scoring 12 runs on 18 hits in the series opener Monday, and 42 runs in the previous five games.
POWER SURGE
St. Louis and Arizona entered the game tied with the most home runs in the majors at 30 apiece. Only they kept it up on Tuesday.
Now the teams have 32 home runs each.
Nine St. Louis batters have homered this year, led by Moss and Jeremy Hazelbaker with five apiece.
Ten Diamondbacks have homered, led by Paul Goldschmidt‘s five.
Arizona has home runs in seven straight games. Eight Cardinals have at least three home runs.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: OF Matt Holliday was out of the lineup as a precaution after leaving Monday night’s game with a right leg cramp.
Diamondbacks: RHP Josh Collmenter (right shoulder tightness) threw one inning (11 pitches) in an extended spring training game on Monday, then pitched another inning in the bullpen. He is to pitch in another extended spring training game on Thursday before going to Class A Visalia on a rehab assignment.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (0-3, 7.25 ERA) takes the mound for St. Louis still looking for his first win of the season.
Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin (1-2, 3.51) makes his fifth start of the season, in the third game of the four-game series with the Cardinals.
