Martinez earned his second hold of the season in the Cardinals' win over the Rockies on Thursday, striking out the only two batters he faced to close out the eighth inning.
Andrew Miller preceded Martinez and was less than sharp to open the frame, issuing a leadoff walk to Nolan Arenado before plunking Charlie Blackmon and then moving both runners up 90 feet with a wild pitch. That prompted manager Mike Shildt to call on his closer with the tying run at the plate in a 6-3 game, and Martinez promptly mowed down Daniel Murphy and Tony Wolters to snuff out the threat. It was a rare non-save situation for Martinez, who could have used the work anyhow after taking the mound only once since Sept. 3 prior to Thursday.