Martinez (1-1) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over eight innings in a 6-1 victory over Cincinnati. He struck out six.
Facing the team he spent the last two seasons with in a swingman role, Martinez made a very strong statement about his ability to be a regular member of a big-league rotation. The veteran right-hander fired 71 strikes among his 95 pitches over a career-best eight frames, and Martinez now has three quality starts among his first five trips to the mound for the Rays. He'll take a 2.10 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB through 30 innings into his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week in Cleveland.