Padres' Nick Martinez: Could make start Tuesday
Martinez improved to 5-4 on the season in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Dodgers, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter over two scoreless innings. After the game, Padres manager Bob Melvin said in an interview with 97.3 The Fan San Diego that Martinez could start again Tuesday versus Seattle, despite the fact that he would be pitching on two days' rest.
After making a three-inning spot start in Colorado on Wednesday, Martinez returned to the bullpen Saturday and came through with two effective frames, earning the victory when the Padres rallied for seven runs in the eighth inning. The right-hander had been limited to 38 pitches in his start versus Colorado, as he was filling in for an injured Joe Musgrove (shoulder) and wasn't built up to anywhere near a full workload. After throwing 22 pitches in relief Saturday, Martinez would presumably be working in a short-inning opener capacity again if he does start Tuesday against the Mariners. The veteran hasn't thrown more than 50 pitches in any appearance since a seven-inning, 97-pitch start way back on April 19 against Atlanta.
