MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Jack Marinez
Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Pitcher of the Day
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Jack Martinez Sets the Tone as Palm Beach Completes Doubleheader Sweep
I didn't have much to say about Jack Martinez in my pre-game notes, but he picked the right day to give Palm Beach some length.
After the Cardinals had already battled through a tight 7-6 win in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader against Lakeland, they needed a starter in Game 2 who could take the ball, settle the day down and keep the bullpen from being stretched thin.
Martinez did all of that.
The right-hander delivered one of his best outings of the season, working a career-high six innings as Palm Beach rolled past the Flying Tigers 10-2 to complete the doubleheader sweep. Martinez allowed two runs on four hits, walked just one and tied a career high with nine strikeouts.
That is how you finish a long day.
Lakeland jumped ahead early with two runs in the first inning, but Martinez did not let the game get away from him. Instead of letting the early damage turn into a crooked night, he settled in, attacked hitters and gave the Palm Beach offense time to respond.
The Cardinals answered in a big way.
Palm Beach erupted for seven runs in the third inning and added three more in the fourth, turning a 2-0 deficit into a commanding lead. Once the Cardinals took control, Martinez made sure Lakeland never found a way back into the game.
That matters in a doubleheader.
A bullpen can get chewed up quickly when a club has to play two in one day. The first game had already been tight, and Palm Beach needed someone to carry the load in Game 2. Martinez did not just protect the staff. He gave the Cardinals six strong innings, missed bats and kept the game firmly in hand.
The nine strikeouts stand out, but the walk total may be just as important. One walk over six innings shows he was not surviving on raw stuff alone. He was in the zone, forcing Lakeland hitters to earn their way on base and controlling the game after the first inning.
For a first-place Palm Beach club, this was the kind of outing that carries extra value. The Cardinals swept the doubleheader, improved their second-half position and turned a postponed game from the night before into a productive day at the ballpark.
Martinez was the biggest reason the second game never got complicated.
On a night when every full-season Cardinals affiliate won, there were plenty of good performances to choose from. But six innings, nine strikeouts and a doubleheader-clinching win are hard to beat.
That is why Jack Martinez is the Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day.
Old School Take: Doubleheaders reward pitchers who can save a bullpen and win their own game. Jack Martinez did both. Six innings, nine strikeouts, one walk and a sweep-clinching win will play every time.
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Photo Credit: Jack Martinez, Palm Beach Cardinals | MiLB