Martinez (7-6) allowed three runs on nine hits, struck out seven and walked one over seven innings in a loss to the Pirates on Monday.
At one point, Martinez retired eight straight batters, and seven strikeouts were his most since June 5. St. Louis handed Martinez a one-run lead in the fifth, but he immediately gave it back to Pittsburgh when Gregory Polanco hit a two-run homer the following half inning. Martinez gave up another run on a two-out single the next frame. He is 7-6 with a 2.90 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 102.1 innings this season.