Our starting pitcher (who can hit 100 mph), the best Dominican pitcher ever, even better than Pedro accoring to his manager......He will pitch on Thrusday at Bush stadium
DAVENPORT, Iowa •
Johnny Rodriguez, the manager for the Cardinals' Low-A affiliate in the Quad Cities, saw something in
Carlos Martinez's five shutout innings Friday night beyond the righthander's first win in the United States and his two pitches that hit 100 mph on several radar guns.
"What you saw was a 19-year-old come back from failing for the first time ever," Rodriguez said.
Martinez, the Cardinals' flame-throwing teen who they signed for $1.5 million last year, struck out nine of 18 batters faced, walked none and scattered three base hits as he worked for his first win in a domestic pro league. The Quad River Bandits backed him with a three-run homer from
Nick Longmire and a 7-4 win against Cedar Rapids, the LA Angels' Midwest League affiliate.
A righthander with a lithe frame and what coaches called "easy heat" delivery, Martinez touched 100 mph twice in the first inning, according to several scouts in attendance. He sat around 97 mph with his fastball, and he stayed there as his pitch count climbed toward 80 pitches.
"I threw ... like I was throwing back home," Martinez said, through third baseman
John Rodriguez, who acted as translator after the game.
The start was Martinez's first for the home crowd at Modern Woodmen Park, where he figures to call most of this season home. It was comes six days after a difficult outing in unpleasant weather -- what could be considered Martinez's first rocky outing as a pro and perhaps ever. The righty allowed six runs (all earned) on five hits and three walks through 2 2/3 innings. He struggled with his second stuff and wasn't enough in command of his fastball to put away hitters.
How Martinez would rebound from his setback was a question even a few hours before first pitch Friday.
He struck out the side to open the start.
Question answered.
"I saw his eyes during the game," his manager said. "They weren't here (drooping). They were here (straight ahead). Always here. Great bounce back."
Martinez got more use from his secondary stuff during Friday's start because he had to. The second batter of the game worked him for a nine-pitch at-bat. Martinez started off with fastballs, and he was helped by the hitters willingness to foul off fastballs outside of the zone. But to finish off the at-bat, which Martinez controlled at 0-2, the righty had to go to his off-speed stuff. Martinez froze one hitter with his curveball, and later in the start he became more deft with his changeup. That is a developing pitch that he doesn't quite have the feel for yet.
The fourth inning was his best inning as he struck out two batters and needed only 11 pitches to retire three batters. His last six pitches of the innings were all strikes, and his fastball remained in th 95- to 98-mph range.
All three of the hits he allowed in the start were singles.
"I just tried to do my job," Martinez said through his translator. "the job I used to do back in the Dominican."
Martinez is scheduled to be Quad Cities' starting pitcher Thursday when the River Bandits host a regular-season game at Busch Stadium. Much more on the righty coming next week in
The Post-Dispatch and online here at
StlToday.com.