Martinez, who allowed six earned runs on four hits, three walks and a hit batsman over 1.2 innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Astros on Thursday, still sounded a confident tone following the outing, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. "I know the result wasn't the result I wanted, but I feel good," Martinez said. "I feel good with all my pitches. I know I can be better in the next couple starts."
The right-hander is pushing to become a prominent member of the starting rotation once again this spring, but if Martinez doesn't improve considerably, he could be fighting merely to hold onto a roster spot. Manager Mike Shildt backed up Martinez's confidence in his stuff prior to the game, lauding the veteran for coming to camp in great shape and going about his business in a positive fashion following a difficult, COVID-impacted 2020. Shildt still praised the way the ball was coming out of Martinez's hand following the outing and added, "Carlos is going to be just fine."