Upon learning of Cuban-American Nick Martínez’s pending start yesterday I posed the question to Reds’ skipper David Bell if the righty would be a fixture in the team’s rotation for what’s left of the season and he had this to say,”Yes as of today he’s starting,he been amazing. He’s done whatever needed for us. As of today he’s in our rotation starting.
Martínez responded by tossing five scoreless innings in which he only allowed four hits and struck out four in his return to his native city during Cincinnati’s 10-3 drubbing of the Marlins. The right-hander earned his keep and will be a permanent fixture in the team’s starting rotation for the rest of the season as per his skipper, David Bell.
Martínez won his sixth game of the season and his last seven outings sports a 4-0 record and 0.52 earned run average in his last seven outings. The hurler has served the team in various roles for the team on the campaign. In 84 innings pitched this season Martínez has won six games, held four, has a 3.43 earned run average and has struck out 68 batters over that span.
For Cincinnati it is a luxury to have a pitcher with such versatility, especially at the price he came at , 2 years and 24 million dollars. To get such production out of a pitcher for that price and with the ability to pitch in any role is not only a bargain but also a luxury.